My Paradise
by Kyouryoku Senshi
Summary: Post-IWTB. Pre-ss10. What happened to our heroes during that 8 year gap? -Special thanks to Vered for the story cover image. :)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Title: My Paradise

Author: Kyo

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: IWTB, Pre-revival spoilers for My Struggle

A/N: Thanks so much to Vered for the wonderful cover art. :)

Summary: POST-IWTB. Pre-My Struggle. Now that Mulder has been exonerated, Scully takes Mulder up on his offer to get away. What happens between now and then?

After a long morning, Scully successfully completed Christian's last treatment. In the last several months, things had been going back to normal...or as normal as possible. Mulder was recently exonerated by the FBI and the government. He was no longer living as a fugitive or second clas citizen. They had a lot of money in the bank, so it wasn't as if they were hurting until he was able to return to work. With Skinner's help, he was able to get his identity back...his driver's license, passport, access to his bank accounts, (though he had one offshore this whole time during hiding), his credit and property ownership.

As Scully made some final notes regarding Christian's final treatment, she realized not long ago did she have doubts regarding continuing this radical procedure and it took a lot of pursuading and convincing Christian's parents to move forward. She smiled at the thought of all the progress Christian had made and was glad she "Never Gave Up".

She exited her office, getting ready to head home and take the much awaited vacation Mulder had promised her. She smiled once she was stopped by Christian's parents.

"Dr. Scully, we would just like to thank you for everything...for having faith in this when we didn't. God is truly great, but it is you we have to thank for not giving up on our son."

Scully smiled. "I'm not sure it's me you need to thank," she said. "I saw a light and I followed it...now all we have to do is wait, but I think we have been successful at treating Sandhoffs disease."

"Whatever we may have thought or said to you before, " Christian's mother started. "I know Christian thinks the world of you, so however Christian's fate was decided, we can't thank you enough for all you've done."

"Of course, I can't tell you also how rewarding it has been to get to know Christian." Before Scully could get too emotional on how he reminded and resembled what her son might look like today, she excused herself.

"Mr and Mrs. Fearon, I will keep you updated, it might be a while still before he can return home, but I am hopeful it will be sooner than later."

Scully didn't want to admit she felt bad about not being able to say goodbye to Christian for these next few weeks, but she did tell him before the surgery that she was going away and would be back soon.

As Scully made the drive home as she usually did, she knew there was really only one thing missing from their lives now. William. She only hoped they would be reunited once again when he became of age.

Once Scully drove past the entry barricade as usual, she pulled up in front of their somewhat isolated home. It was no longer necessary to live in the boonies, but it still felt like home.

She excited her car, more excited than usual to be on this type of trip with Mulder and getting away from the darkness that always lurked behind.

"What's up, Doc?" Came the normal, half retort, half teasing reply.

Scully couldn't help but smile as she removed her coat. For once, Mulder wasn't not hiding in his office, but rather packing suitcases.

"Thought I would get a head start on tomorrow, Scully. So get excited about losing those layers," he smirked.

She crossed her arms. "I'll get excited once you tell me where it is we're going to. I think I've waited in suspense long enough."

Mulder chuckled. "It always has been difficult to surprise you, Scully."

"Well, Mulder, I generally don't like surprises, but I have a feeling this will be different."

"We're headed to the Bahama's, Scully. I hope you have that sexy bikini ready," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Scully shook her head and laughed. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow, 6am...get ready, it's going to be a long two weeks."

To be continued...

A/N: I have a lot of plans for this story...please do R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

It seemed liked ages since either of them had boarded and flown on an airplane. Th ey had lived such a low key life in the last several years that it felt so unusual. Though Scully was happy they could live a more settled life, she always felt as if something was missing aside from the obvious.

Mulder looked over at her and squeezed her hand. He looked silly with the neck support he sported in his seat. "Hey Scully, remember how afraid of flying you were on our first case together?"

She looked over and rolled her eyes, realizing he noticed her tensing up at the turbulence...despite their many years of flights together, it still had been over 6 years, which seemed like forever ago.

"Well, as I said before...too many years away from this business or not long enough."

He smiled. "Except this isn't business, for once."

"Yeah,"

"Is something wrong, Scully?"

She could tell he was disappointed that she didn't seem to be excited for her trip, which she was, but she was having trouble checking away from work. "No, it's not that."

Seeming to sense her reluctance, he continued. "Is it work, it's that boy, Christian, isn't it?" Mulder made a mental note to stop by the hospital and see this boy that Scully was so fond of. Now that he didn't have to keep himself low key anymore.

While she held Mulder's hand she nodded. There were several things going through her mind, though that was the most present at the moment.

"You finished his treatment, right? Will he be okay?"

"Well, we can't say for sure, not yet. It could take weeks and maybe months to see definite results, but I am hopeful."

He nodded. "Well, I trust that there must be a chance since you fought so hard for him. You made the right choice, Scully. You didn't give up."

She managed a smile. She felt instant relief from his words as she always did and closed her eyes.

A few hours later, the plane had arrived at their destination and they were both tired, hungry and eager to get off. When they exited the plane, the warmth of the tropical climate came as a welcome relief to which they were not accustomed.

Once they claimed their baggage, they headed over to the outside pickup area, where a shuttle would be taking them to the resort. "Are you ready to get that tan on, Doc?"

Scully gave Mulder and incredulous look. "Well, Mulder, I hope you didn't forget your sunscreen."

He gave her a puzzled look. "Oh," then a look of dawning realization. "And here I was just planning to wing it."

Once they arrived at the resort, which by the looks of it, was definitely a 5 star hotel, they quickly checked in. It was a beach front hotel with lots of lush greenery.

As they entered the elevator, Mulder smiled. "It's still not too late to take a nice trip to the forest."

"Thanks for the offer, Mulder, but I've had my fill of cold, freezing and isolated places in the darkness. What I wouldn't have given for a case on a nice warm climate like this.

"And don't forget ghosts in elevators," he quipped as the elevator quipped

"Going down."

"What, but I haven't had dinner yet," he laughed.

The day was already almost over, but Mulder had insisted they rent a boat to get a nice view of the sunset. This was actually what he imagined when he promised Scully that they would get away.

It had been ages since Scully had herself be seen in a bikini and she hadn't really seen Mulder in a pair of swim trunks either, now that she thought about it. She had to actually go out and buy an outfit for herself.

As she put on the simple, yet sexy and sophisticated black halter bikini, Mulder had chosen that time to walk back into their room, already dressed in a pair of board shorts. "Mulder!"

"What?" He said innocently. He smiled at the blush that settled on her cheeks.

"I don't know, someone else could have, you know...caught a glance."

Despite so many years in isolation, it still a,azed her how impeccably fit Mulder still was. Of course, age filled him out in all the right places, but he looked great for a man who was nearly 47 years old.

She just hoped they would get through this vacation without Mulder managing to find some conspiracy somewhere. So far, so good.

They were able to get an hour boat rental as the sun started to set. It was a perfect amount of time for them to experience the sunset before they decided what to have for dinner. Thankfully, they had most of the beach to themselves aside from the occasional tourists. These were the pros of an impromptu vacation during wintertime. When everyone else was working and in school.

Part of Scully would still give anything to have that lifestyle.

Mulder must have noticed she was deep in thought as she looked up with a start as he said her name. "Scully?"

She looked up as he continued to row the boat as the heat of the setting sun radiated it's warmth. "I'm sorry, Mulder, I was just thinking."

She looked at her bikini clad form with a smile. How did he manage to get so lucky to have this woman stay? Especially with fugitive Spooky Mulder who didn't have much going for him, while she had a rewarding career as a doctor.

"About what?"

She closed her eyes, she didn't want to ruin the trip with thoughts of William. "It's nothing, it's just some mornings I would give anything for a life of domestic bliss."

Mulder knew it still pained her that they couldn't have their family. He knew how torn apart she still was even after all these years. During their first years in isolation, Scully went through a major period of extreme depression over the loss of their son. He knew it was something she still regretted.

"Maybe it's not too late."

She smiled. "Maybe you're right."

"You know, I never once imagined in all of our cases that you'd be sitting here in front of me, wearing next to nothing in the sunset."

That got him a brighter smile. "Really? I Could have sworn I caught your wandering eyes a few times."

Mulder's mind flashed back to when they first met, when she had rushed into his room in a bra and panties, without any shame.

"Well, can you blame a guy when you come to his room in silk panties late at night and throw your robe off?"

Scully couldn't help but blush. "I was legitimately freaked out. It was my first assignment."

Mulder should have been paying attention, but all he could think about was how lucky he was to have her after everything she had lost in the process. She still chose him. Part of him would never forgive himself for putting her through all that...for always putting his own needs first.

"You know I love you, right Scully?"

That sure caught her off guard. He had to know though after recent events.

She shifted positions slightly. She didn't know how to respond at first.

"What you said to me when I visited you at the hospital...at the time I couldn't respond properly...I said things out of frustration that I didn't mean."

Scully reached over and took his free hand in her own. "I know."

"Well, I just need you to know that it's always been you, Scully. You're the reason I've made it through these past 6 years in isolation. I was able to get through each lonely day knowing you were coming home at the end of it."

Scully felt tears well up in her eyes, but still managed a smile as he continued.

"That's why...when you said you weren't coming home, I was angry and hurt...and afraid. And acted out of spite. I'm sorry. You've been through enough over the years and it was wrong of me to expect you to do what has always been my life. I thought I had lost you, that there wasn't anything left to lose."

He watched the tears fall on her face and that was the last thing he wanted. But she moved forward on the rocking boat to kiss him. "I know and...you were right. It was my fault for getting you involved without expecting you to solve the case...I wanted you to have your life back, but I was afraid to lose you too and the life we have."

"That's not going to happen, Scully. I don't want to know the truth without you."

She smiled as they watched the sun set in the distance.

"Well, we'd better head back before we get stuck in the dark."

"Yeah, we don't want another big blue or who knows what else to come after us."

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

The next day was a mix of interesting activities and it was honestly the most normal vacation Scully had ever had. Usually her vacations were interrupted by some unexplained phenomenon. She could never get away from their work, it seemed. But today, which was a mix of beach bumming, jet skiing and snorkeling, made her believe that maybe normalcy was possible once again. Though she didn't dare get her hopes up.

Scully had scheduled both of them for a nice relaxing massage before they went to dinner at a place of Mulder's choosing and she gave him a hard time that this particular massage was not going to involve any happy endings. "Damn, Scully, way to disappoint a man, " he said with that reassuring grin that he was just messing around.

Old habits never died though, Scully always felt slightly uncomfortable being close to naked and at complete ease with a stranger. It was nothing but pleasant and relaxing though. The hot stones were also a nice touch. She had been feeling slightly nauseated today and felt better when her mind was relaxed and clear.

Mulder had surprised her with a reservation at the ocean catch restaurant that was right on the ocean with and open atmosphere dining. She enjoyed the gesture so much that she didn't want to ruin it by admitting she felt a little seasick.

As they were seated above the beautiful aqua colored waves, Scully stopped Mulder as he requested two champagne glasses and requested a cider for herself.

"Are you feeling alright, Scully?" It was unlike her to not want to enjoy a nice glass of wine or champagne...though neither of them was up to drinking after the long day they had yesterday.

She smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, just feeling a little seasick, I'll be fine, Mulder." She made the statement in a tone that said there would be no further questioning.

He simply nodded.

As they both looked over the dinner menu, Scully noted that Mulder seemed to be preoccupied with something as he kept shifting it uncomfortably.

"Something wrong, Mulder?"

He shook his head. "No," he said a little too quickly. "Just hoping you won't just order a salad. I'm feeling a filet mignon myself."

"I bet you are, Mulder," she said with a skeptical brow.

"But since this dinner is on you, I may as well take advantage of that and get some lobster."

"What happened to going dutch, Scully?"

She rolled her eyes. "I think you owe me big time after all these years of footing the bill."

He knew she was teasing him.

The waiter took that moment to take their order and they spent the next several minutes in silence, enjoying the scenery.

"Well, this sure does beat the nice trips to the forest," he said with a smile,

"I don't know, Mulder, I kind of miss the minimalist living getaways."

Mulder had chosen a spot that was fairly excluded for them to be able to dine in peace. It was so peaceful that is was almost a conspiracy.

Once they were finished with the appetizer, their main course came fairly quickly. Mulder had already put away a few glasses of wine. Maybe it had something to do with final being able to order a drink in public without having to worry about carrying a valid ID.

Shortly after finishing their meal, Mulder excused himself to the bathroom and was back within a few minutes.

"Remember what I said about your diet taking a vacation as well, Scully."

She narrowed her eyes at him over the menu as she decided to humor him and order a slice of chocolate ganache cake. "I suppose so, I honestly have had a craving for a satisfying dessert.

Mulder decided to order the same thing.

Once Scully set her menu down, he noticed a bit of food was settled on the side of her mouth. He took that opportunity to reach across the table and and wipe it off her mouth, catching her in surprise at the same time.

Despite all their years together, she turned a familiar shade of red that he recognized from one of their first cases together. Her eyes had caught his gaze and held them for a few moments. They were full of life

and longing. The same ones he woke up to in the hospital recently.

At that moment, the server brought their desserts in two covered plates and excused himself. Mulder watched her closely. "Ladies first."

She rolled her eyes and proceeded to take the top off her plate and dig into her dessert, but caught her breath at the sight in front of her. There was a white gold solitaire sparkling back at her from the cake. The words "Merry Me" in chocolate icing embroidered the plate. It was a phrase she heard from him a few times, but this time she knew it was no joke.

Mulder watched her intently as she paused for several moments. He felt as if his heart was going to burst from his chest and land on that plate in front of her. Now that would be an X File.

"Oh god," she finally broke out. "I think they gave me the wrong dessert."

That provided them both with a bit of comic relief. Mulder leaned forward to see over her plate. "Oh my. First the thing with the pizza man, now you got something going on with the waiter too, Scully?"

He was rewarded with a laugh that caused tears to spill over the side of her face. She was still speechless, but thankful the waiters have left them alone. Mulder still watcher her carefully. "I'm sorry, Scully. I'm not great with cheesy love lines and I'm not traditional, but as I said before, you are my constant and my touchtone. Most importantly, you put up with my ass all these years even though I didn't deserve it. Maybe we can try and have a family again. What do you say, G woman? Will you be Mrs. Spooky with me?"

Scully was honestly speechless. Never in a million years did she really expect this from Mulder, she knew nothing about them was traditional, even though at one point in her life she did expect to get married and settle down with kids. She supposed she was going in reverse order.

She finally looked at Mulder and nodded as he slipped the solitaire diamond ring that suited her so well onto her finger. She noted the servers were still staying clear.

"Of course, Mulder. You already know there's no one else and though this doesn't change anything, at least we can be somewhat normal."

He watched her avert her gaze and knew there was more. "What is it, Scully?"

She shook her head slowly and turned back to him. "There's something I have told you, Mulder and I hope you understand that I didn't purposely try and keep it from you?"

Mulder felt the breath leave his lungs, preparing himself for what was coming next, what could it possibly be? Was it the cancer? "Please don't tell me the cancer is back, Scully."

She shook her head. "No, but what you said about starting a family again...I'm pregnant, Mulder."

To be continued...

A/n: Hey all, I hope you're enjoying this! Happy Thanksgiving! Please leave feedback


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Mulder had expected her to say almost anything but this. For a moment, he was crippled with fear that her cancer may have come back. It had been in remission for many years now since they put the chip back into her neck, but there was still a chance of it becoming active again. But them having another baby? Now THAT came out of left field. William was a child that wasn't supposed to be. Despite her ova being removed, Krychek had indicated that the chip had been responsible for her ability to conceive. Was that the truth in this case also? Would this child also face the same fate and danger as William?

Thankfully, Scully had allowed him to process the news as they paid the bill and left to head back to their hotel. He did want a family with her and now more than ever since the days of their dangerous past were behind them for the most part and he was exonerated.

Once they arrived back at their quiet hotel room. Mulder started "Scully, I.."

"I understand if this isn't what you wanted or expected and I'm not sure it would be wise to bring a child into this world with the future so uncertain."

Mulder tried to speak again, but she continued. "And Mulder, I am forty three years old. My pregnancy was high risk with William and that was almost seven years ago. This risks of complications are through the roof."

"Scully, stop!" He insisted.

He crossed the room and pulled her to him. "This news was the least expecred to me as it was to you. I would be lying if I said I wasn't afraid right now too, but I think...I think we are in a position to do this and make it work. I'm the reason so much was taken from you. The reason you lost Emily...and William. Maybe this time will be the charm."

Scully felt tears welling in her eyes from the hormones and for the weight of it all.

"How long have you known about the baby?"

"I knew before you ran off on that case. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I was afraid, Mulder. And almost losing you again made me fear thar having this baby wouldn't be the right choice."

He pulled her face gently to face him. It was then that he realized why Scully had been acting as she did...despite her knowing the person he was, she was unusually sensitive. He didn't understand why she wanted him to help with the case and then immediately pull him back before he got too involved. It didn't make sense then, but it did now.

He wiped the tears that had fallen on her cheeks. "This was the reason...this is why you didn't want to let me go, or get too close to the csse, wasn't it?"

She nodded, tearfully.

He gingerly swept his finger through her long hair and tucked it away. "I'm sorry...I should have known."

She shook her head. "It's okay, Mulder. You were right, I made you take the case and I should have known how much this means to you. But it worked out for the best. We don't have to hide anymore."

He smiled. "That's why I want us to bea family again, Scully. I want us to have this baby...I mean, if that's what you want too."

She looked down and placed her hand at her slightly rounded abdomen. She was just over 3 months pregnant and recent weeks had been difficult as her doctor advised that she would need to make a "decision" within the next few weeks if she didn't want to carry the baby. But in her heart, there was no question about it. She wanted to try again.

"Yes, Mulder. I do. I just need to know that we're in this together. I don't want to raise another child alone."

He smiled. "Well, that's not going to happen. In fact, I arranged for us to exchange vows tomorrow. I want us to be married as soon as possible...we're on this nice vacation right now, I don't think there will be a better time for this."

Scully looked at him incredulously. "Tomorrow? But why the rush?"

"Scully, I think 15 years was a long enough. I'm ready for for you to be my partner and my wife."

Scully couldn't control the tears with everything that was happening. "Oh Mulder," she whispered as she pulled him close to share a very intimate kiss that she didn't want to break.

He loved the way she tasted and didn't want to let go, but had to. "I was figuring we could do some shopping tonight...we have the rings, but I haven't worn a suit in years."

"Mulder...if this is on the beach in this humid weather, simple is easy enough. We'll just get you a button down shirt and khakis."

He nodded. "So let's get started tonight? I booked a pastor for 5pm tomorrow evening on the lakeside nearby. Since we don't have a witness, they will provide one."

Scully quickly changed into more comfortable, less formal clothing. She could wear the same dress for tomorrow, but she wanted something a little more traditional. Not a huge, fluffy white dress like she imagined years ago, but a simple ivory dress would do.

"My mom is going to not only be pissed we didn't have a church wedding, but also that her only daughter decided to elope."

Mulder smiled. "I don't know that I would last in a two hour ceremony, Scully."

She smiled at the thought. "But honestly, after everything...after joining the FBI against their wishes rather than becoming a doctor and having a child out of wedlock, I think they've given up on Dana Scully being the perfect Catholic daughter."

"Well, I'm happy to say we won't be having more children out of wedlock, but I would be lying , Scully, if I said this rebellious part of you didn't turn me on all these years."

She laughed. She was far from traditional, they both were, but she had to admit that she was a hopeless romantic at heart and she couldn't wait to begin their new life together.

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Though neither Mulder and Scully were traditional in any sense of the word, Scully couldn't help but smile. Part of her yearned for some normalcy. It wasn't long ago where she told Mulder she wanted to settle down and have a normal life. They had had that for about 6 years, despite Mulder's lack of status after becoming a fugitive. She was able to become a medical doctor and come home every night to a "husband" and a home. Few of her colleagues knew about her personal life as she was very closed off. Her heart still ached amd yearned for William and she was having difficulty processing the idea of another baby after all that had happened. William, though of course, Mulder's child, was the product of the implant in her neck and she suspected this child was the same. She was 43 years old and she planned a tubal ligation done after the baby was born to prevent any future complications.

Despite the fear that she was consumed by, she wanted so much to have a family life with Mulder now that he had been exonerated. As she gazed back at her reflection in the mirror, she could see the small bump of her pregnancy that was accentuated by the form fitting white down she was wearing. She gently touched her belly and couldn't help feeling a little self conscious as if all her weaknesses were on display.

She contemplated pulling her hair up, but left it down in it's long layers due to Mulder's insistence. She decided to grow her hair long...a change she decided on after becoming fugitives and wanting another look...which was part of their hopes in starting a new life. It made het appearance more vulnerable and less structured as she had done for so many years.

Earlier that morning, Mulder had surprised her with some club soda and breakfast in bed. She had kept the pregnancy a secret for so long that she was glad she no longer had to fight to hide her morning sickness.

She smiled as he entered the hotel room, ready to take her to go exchange vows and become legally bound to one another. "Are you sure you're ready for this, Scully?"

She nodded. "I've been ready for a long time. I want us to be a family, Mulder, in every sense of the word."

He smiled and took her hand. Though Mulder was extremely far from a traditionalist, he wanted them to finally have what was taken from them, as a result of his quest. Though the pain from losing their son would still burden them on a daily basis.

Scully hadn't imagined getting hitched in secret, nor had she imagined a traditional wedding with frills either when she was younger. At this point, she didn't care, just so long as she and Mulder were finally a family.

Her heart swelled at the sight of him in khakis and a simple button down white shirt, walking footless in the sand. It was really happening...though things were far from happily ever after. This would have to do for now though.

She felt her heart racing moments before they were to start exchanging vows on the beach. She felt so many emotions rushing through her at once in combination with the pregnancy hormones. The next several minutes were a blur as the minister met them and started the vow exchanging process.

She did remember Mulder reciting words she remembered from years before, such as "My dearest, Dana," and "I take you as my lawfully wedded wife". But some of the next verses made her nearly break into tears. "My constant, my touchtone, the mother of my son and unborn child. Dammit, I'm not great at confessions, Scully, but my life is with you forever or however long you will put up with me."

Scully couldn't stop the tears at this point. "Oh god, I love you so much Mulder, since...dammit, I can't even remember, but while everyone else thought you were crazy, your passion to find the truth made me follow you. Even though I lost so much, it was still worth it...if it means I can be with you. I hope someday, we can find the truth together in our family."

When they were pronounced husband and wife, everything else that happened afterwards was a blur. Scully suddenly felt faint and knew they had to get back to the hotel room before she embarassed herself any further. Part of her wasn't entirely sure if it was the pregnancy hormones or if it was the fact the had just really exchanged vows. She would never forget those words though.

To be continued...

A/n: Happy almost new years, all! Enjoy this fic for a little de-stressing from the holidays. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Three months later, Mulder had been right that their trip was going to be one to remember. It was one of her favorite ones, aside from all the spooky adventures they had been on in the past...she had to admit she did have a little fun on those at times.

Her free hand touched her now rounded, distended abdomen. She couldn't help but notice the ring on her finger as she splayed her fingers over her belly. Her colleagues couldn't help but notice either as she had walked down the halls these past few weeks or so. She never openly discussed her personal life, so rumors often went around...though not quite the same when she was showing during her first pregnancy. She frowned as she remembered all the "Little Spooky" jokes that touched her ears in the halls. Some she didn't care to remember. Such as the ones about bets on who the father was...be it Skinner or Mulder...and even Doggett.

She often wondered how he and Reyes were doing in the almost 7 years since she'd seen them. As far as she knew, they were still with the FBI, but also had a family of their own. She hoped that was true. She felt the bond between her and Doggett was especially stronger after she had given up William. Though in different ways, they had both lost children. She didn't know Emily well, the thought of losing her first child still pained her. Scully would have been lying to herself if she didn't admit that she was still terrified to have this baby. She couldn't bear to lose anyone or anything else.

Her nausea had seemed to subside over the past couple of weeks. When they had returned from their trip, she had caused Mulder quite a scare when she fainted during a procedure at work...giving herself a mild concussion. Since then, he would make an effort to drop in for an unannounced visit periodically to check on her. She didn't care to admit how her heart srill swelled at the sight of him after a difficult surgery. Perhaps it was the too many times she had feared she would never see him again.

At night, when she was feeling especially faint, Mulder would hold her close as he had done before she found out she was pregnant the first time. He would tell her it was going to be okay whenever she told him her fears about something happening to their baby. She admitted to him the miscarriage scare she had when she was pregnant with William. Only Skinner had known as she felt she couldn't trust anyone else with her secret at the time. Though she was well out of miscarriage territory, it still wasn't an impossibility at 6 months.

Each day was routine for Scully, but today she felt she had to do something after all these years. She changed out of her ever increasingly uncomfortable scrubs that had become tight around her belly, making hee condition even more obvious. She pulled out her cell phone from her locker and dialed Mulder's number.

"Sup, Doc?"

"Mulder, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be home a little later tonight."

The worry in his voice was evident as he spoke. "Is everything okay, Scully? The baby-"

She sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't want him to worry. "Yes, Mulder. I'm fine, we're fine, I promise. There's just something I have to do. I'll tell you about it when I get home, okay?"

"Okay," he replied, not entirely convinced. "I love you, Scully."

"I know, I love you too, Mulder."

She put her phone away and proceeded to grab her things.

Since she had given William up for adoption, her relationship had been rather strained with her mother and even more so once they had been on the run. She hadn't been in contact with her for several years, though Skinner had, just to ensure her mother that she was okay.

It was one of their measures to protect her. But now that Mulder had been exonerated and they were approaching a somewhat normal life, she wanted so badly to see her again and to tell her about her pregnancy. Though she wasn't sure how well she would take it after giving her first child away. She wouldn't blame her either.

Her mom would never understand it. Especially after she had longed for a child so much after finding out she couldn't have one. To her mother, giving away her child was the chicken way out. She was probably right about that too. And it upset her each and every day that she wasn't strong enough to stand beside him.

She quickly made her way to her car and anxiously drove down the long, lonely road. It was only about and hour and a half drive to her mother's, but it felt like an eternity. She only hoped her mother would forgive her.

Once she had made her way into Washington, she pulled up on her mother's familiar block. A place she hadn't been in nearly 7 years. She wrapped her arms around her belly, before pulling her coat together to button.

It was spring now, but it was still chilly out...at least the baby thought so. About a month ago, she and Mulder had went to the OBGYN together and while they were there to ensure everything was normal, they found out they were having a girl.

Scully had to admit she had been anxious to see her mother, but at confession a week ago, she decided she wanted to make things right. So much had happened in recent years and she wanted to move forward.

She felt herself pause in front of the door before she took a deep breath and knocked.

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7

Maggie Scully had no idea who could be at the door at this hour. It was nearly eight in the evening and solicitors never came that late. She had moved closer to Washington years ago to be with her daughter to help care for her grandson, William. She didn't know why, but she had stayed, despite being at odds with her daughter for so long now. She actually hadn't seen not heard from her in several years. It was her own boss, Walter Skinner who had assured her that Dana was somewhere safe. She hoped that was true after all this time.

When Dana announced that she was giving up her son, William, the miracle child that wasn't supposed to be, she was furious an even get to say goodbye to him. Dana assured her that it was to protect him and give him a normal life...and she supposed she was probably right. But part of her couldn't forgive her daughter still, she was ashamed to admit. She never understood how badly Dana yearned for a child only to give him away. As much as she tried to be there for Dana, a part of her couldn't give her the comfort she needed. She wished she could change that, knowing how traumatized she was and she only hoped that Fox could fill that void in her heart and provide her with the comfort that she couldn't.

As Maggie reached the door and looked through the peep hole, she gasped at the visitor on the other end and it was all her trembling fingers could do to unlatch the door and throw it open.

She could barely let out a muffled sob at the sight of her daughter in front of her. "Oh, my god, Dana."

Through her slightly blurred vision, she could see that though seven years had changed her daughter, she looked the same as she always did. She had lighter, longer strawberry blonde hair and...she couldn't tell 100%, but she had that glow that pregnant woman have. She looked slightly fuller, but not in an unhealthy way. She couldn't much tell since she was wearing a large coat. Her daughter was nearly 44 now, so how could that have been possible?

Maggie recognized the same expression on her daughter's face that she wore on her own before she let out a muffled sob. "Oh mom".

Maggie reached for her as Dana moved towards her and pulled her inside, quickly shutting the door before she pulled her daughter close to her, afraid to let go.

She had hoped this day would come so she could see with her own eyes that her daughter was really okay as Walter had told her. As she cried softly into her daughter as she did herself, she could feel the changes in her body that a mother only knew. Dana was pregnant...again.

Time seemed to stand still for the longest period, before Maggie guided her to her couch. Dana hadn't yet said anything else and she could only imagine all the emotions she was experiencing on top of her pregnancy. She had offered to take her daughter's coat, to which she gave without a word and the evidence was now apparent to Maggie. Dana was wearing a tight knit sweater underneath that revealed her rounded and distancing abdomen. Her daughter didn't seem to notice her surprise, not until she reached out and placed both of her hands on her daughter's rounded belly. She wasn't thinking really, but that got her daughter's attention.

When her daughter couldn't find the right words, she spoke. She was unsure whether or not to be happy she was going to have another grandchild...or angry she didn't know until now. She opted for the latter since this was one, not shocking behavior from her daughter and two, her daughter had come to her tonight...last thing she wanted to do was have her leave again and not be there for her. She just hoped Fox didn't make any disappearing acts this time.

"You're having another baby," was all Maggie could manage at the moment. "Yeah," came the week reply. Maggie smiled and gently gripped her daughter's hands that had come to rest on the same area before insisting that she make them both some tea.

Scully smiled with relief as she eased back into the familiar warmth of her mother's home. It didn't take long for her mother to bring back some tea and snacks. She wasn't entirely sure how to break the ice, so she was thankful her mother did.

"Oh, Dana, honestly I thought I would never see you again. I know Walter said you were safe, but...I just haven't seen you in such a long time."

Scully nodded slowly. "I know, mom. I'm sorry...I wanted to...it just wasn't safe yet...we wanted to keep you safe until we knew it was okay after everything that happened."

Maggie looked down and nodded slowly. "I know...I was just so worried about you both." She watched her daughter as she prepared the next question. She only hoped he hadn't left her again, despite Dana saying he had his reasons before "What about Fox...he hasn't..."

Scully could sense what was coming next. "No, mom, he's fine...we're fine...he doesn't have to hide anymore. He's no longer wanted by the FBI. He was just exonerated about 4 months ago after he helped them with a case, he's going back to work."

Maggie managed a small smile. "Good."

There was still a tense silence that ensured while they sipped their tea. "Dana...about William..."

Scully shook her head. "Mom, I can't go there right now."

"No, I just...I just wanted to say that I understand your choice as much as it hurt...I can't ever get that time back to be there, to comfort you, but I'm here now."

Scully felt tears well into her eyes. "Oh mom, I know.. I know. He'd be about 7 years old now and I'll never get those years back. I want to badly for him to be with us...so we can be a family. I...I didn't expect, not plan to get pregnant like this again. I'm still so unsure."

She felt her mom pull her into a loving embrace. "Maybe God has given you a second chance, Dana."

It was just then that Maggie noticed the ring on her daughter's finger. "Dana...when did you get married?"

Scully couldn't help feeling a little flustered over the question. Not because of the fact, but because she was anxious about her mother's reaction. "Yeah...about 3 months ago...Mulder and I went to the Caribbean."

"Oh," Scully was admittedly disappointed she missed the big event, but this was her daughter after always secretive. But in a way, she was thankful that Fox hadn't left her again.

"Well, good...I'm glad you've settled down."

Scully really did want to have a response for that, but she didn't.

"Can you tell me, even though I know you're full of secrets, what are you having? Though I can probably guess," she said indicating her daughter's belly.

Scully managed slight smirk. She and Mulder had decided to find out the sex of their baby together this time since he was with her. They agreed it would be best so there were no surprises. Previously, she had trouble telling Mulder due to his misplaced feelings when he returned from the dead. She didn't want anyone else to know until he did. So she supposed it was okay to tell her mom this time.

"It's a girl, mom," she said as she gently touched her belly.

To say her mom was excited was an understatement. Her mom all but gushed "My first granddaughter, I can't believe it, Dana."

Scully hated when people touched her except for Mulder, though her mom was an exception and she was indignant like she was, which meant she was going to feel her grandbaby.

Scully had been feeling unsure about the pregnancy, though her mom had helped make her feel reassured.

The talked for a little while longer, about how she was a medical doctor now and had been for the last 6 years or so. She talked about Christian, his treatments and how he reminded her of her beloved son that she lost so many years with. She had longed for these moments with her mother for so long.

Not knowing the time, Scully felt herself drift to sleep amidst their conversation. She was more exhausted from the day than she cared to admit.

It was a few hours later that she woke to a buzzing of her phone. She gasped at the time...it was the middle of the night. Mulder must have been frantic since she didn't say where she was going.

"I'm sorry, Mulder," she answered quickly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine...I'll be home soon, okay?" Not waiting for an answer, she ended the call and bolted from the couch to see her mother standing there.

"Leaving so soon, Dana?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't tell Mulder I was coming here. I didn't want him to worry. I need to get home."

Before she could get much further, she felt her mom pull her into a deep hug. "Please come back soon Dana, or better yet...let me drive to see you. It's safe now, right?"

Scully nodded slowly and pulled a pen and paper from her purse to jot down an address and phone number for her mother.

They exchanged one more tearful hug before Scully rushed to make her way home. It was midnight and she instantly regretted making Mulder wait and worry so long that she probably broke all the speed limits to get home.

Thankfully she didn't get pulled over during that endeavor.

A short while later, Mulder jumped up as he heard a key in the door...old habits died hard, though you couldn't be too careful.

He was only expecting one person right about now.

He sighed a sigh of relief so loud, he was sure she probably heard.

She was disappointed at the lack of his usual "Sup, doc?" greeting, to be perfectly honest.

Instead, it was "Jesus, Scully, you had me worried sick about you," at the sight of his pregnant wife.

She had to admit that his domesticated time was endearing. He watched her, in her familiar beige coat, with the drawstring that now rested above the bump underneath. He had to admit, she had this glow that turned him on each and every time he saw the sight of her in the door. But she'd probably smack him for it

As she removed her coat, she sighed, extremely tired from the day's work and drive. "I know, I'm sorry," she replied, knowing how much he was probably worrying about her...and their baby.

"Well, where did you go?" He asked almost too forcefully.

She continued to stand in the doorway, almost uncertain of what to say next. She rested a hand on her hip and her head in the opposite hand, as she did often when she was in considerable thought or frustration.

"I um, I went to see my mother."

Out of everything she could have been doing, this surprised him some.

"Oh...well why didn't you say so instead of keeping me wondering and worried sick about you? I was afraid something happened...I can't lose you, Scully, either of you," He said closing the distance between them.

"I know, I'm sorry, Mulder. I didn't mean to. I was just so full of emotions that it was just something I had to do alone."

That disappointed him a little, but he understood. He pulled her towards him in that familiar way he always did and rested his forehead against hers. "Well, how was it?"

She felt herself begin to tear up a little. "It went well...better than I expected actually. I needed to do this for a while. I missed her so much."

Mulder nodded. He knew Scully had regretted their estrangement since giving William up for adoption.

"But can we talk about that later? I'm exhausted, my feet are starting to swell and I need to lay down," she said as she moved away from him and proceeded to keep her heels off on the way to the bedroom.

He watched her with a smile. He didn't dare admit her clumsiness and carelessness brought on by pregnancy was cute.

Instead, he smirked and called after her down the hallway.

"Just remember, I have a little something for that."

Too be continued...:)


	8. Chapter 8

Scully was nearly 7 months pregnant now. As with William, but she and Mulder were anxious about any possible abnormalities with the baby. They had grown to realize that the chip in her neck was the result of her fertility returning, though it had a timeline of its own, so she had decided to have a tubal ligation once this baby was born to avoid any further surprises. That and they were simply getting too old to have any more children, though Scully would have loved to have maybe one more. It wasn't realistic at this point, unfortunately.

They had been lucky that there had been no complications throughout her pregnancy thus far. It hurt Mulder to think about the complications Scully went through when she was pregnant with William. She was 7 years older this time and there had been far more risk of complications.

Scully's surgeries on Christian these past months bad been a success. She had just completed his last and final surgery before he was due to be able to go home. She had developed an inseparable bond with her young patient and she didn't want to accept that she would no longer see him anymore.

She sighed as she removed her plastic gloves and washed her hands. She had so many emotions cursing through her. Not only was she growing tired and uncomfortable more easily, but she was growing anxious about motherhood again after everything that happened with William. She felt her baby kick inside of her and taking a quick glance around the room, she made sure no one else was around and gently smoothed her hand over her burgeoning belly. Her scrubs were becoming tight and uncomfortable around her midsection and she sensed her baby was protesting the discomfort. "It's okay, sweetie...mommy is going home to rest soon."

As she moved to go to her locker to change out of her scrubs, she felt the floor beneath her become unstable and she felt her headache turn into dizziness. As she reached out to try and stabilize herself, she felt herself

lose her footing before her head came into contact with hard metal before collapsing to the floor.

Moments later, some of Scully's colleges had come into the room at the sight of her on the floor, unconscious. "Dr. Scully, Dr. Scully, are you okay?! Get help!"

It was only moments later they had her on a gurney and taken into emergency.

Mulder was at home, working on some criminal profiling when he got a call from a familiar number on his cell. It was the one he recognized as Scully's hospital. The problem was, she usually called him from her cell number. He knew that this number would only be calling him for emergency contact purposes. He felt dread settle deep into the pit of his stomach. It was too early for Scully to be having the baby, she was only 7 months pregnant.

He scrambled to push the answer button on his phone. "Mulder?"

"Is this Mr. Fox Mulder?" Came an unfamiliar female voice.

"Yes, please tell me my wife is okay." It was the first time he used the word wife in this context and it sounded oddly foreign on his tongue, though loved the importance of it. There would never again be that awkward moment when a nurse asked him whether or not he was the husband.

The long sigh at the other end told him the news wasn't good.

"Dr. Scully was finishing up a procedure and fainted shortly afterwards. She did suffer a mild concussion from hitting her head during the fall. She should be okay, they're just running some tests to make sure she and her baby are okay. "

Mulder breathed a sigh of relief. That didn't alleviate his worry much though. "I'll be right there," he said as he ended the call.

He was there within minutes it seemed by breaking several speeding laws, which he considered one of the more minor offenses in his life aside from working against the government.

He burst in through the doors startling several staff members, demanding to see his Scully and finally being able to answer yes to the husband questions.

When he reached where she was, he was stopped by a doctor, presumably one of Scully's colleagues, who explained to him the extent of her injuries and that they were running further tests on her.

"Please tell me they're okay," he said trying to calm himself.

The order gentleman nodded. "It appears to be, but we're doing blood work and some other tests to be sure. She'll be moved to a regular room shortly, but you can feel free to see her. She just regained consciousness."

Mulder nearly pushed past the man at that point and into the room. His urgency caused Scully to abruptly look up at her intruder.

"Mulder!"

She looked so small in that hospital bed as she did many times over. But she looked more vulnerable than before. She had a bandage wrapped around her head and numerous wires and IV's atttached to her. There was even a fetal monitor on her belly, where her hand rested nearby.

His heart sank. This was a lot for someone who just fainted. She was injured.

"Scully...I heard what happened...and I panicked. I came as quickly as I could." He took a chair nearby and took her hand in his own. She looked pale and weak and it scared him.

"I just fainted, Mulder. I felt a little dizzy and lost my footing, but I'm fine as is the baby."

He sighed and planted a kiss on her hand and held it close. "Scully, maybe you should take your maternity leave. You don't need to be working...at least not until after the baby is born."

Scully opened her mouth to protest.

"Is it that boy, Christian? Is that who you're worried about?"

Scully managed a smile. "I finished his last procedure. He will be going home soon."

Mulder nodded. This wasn't going to be easy for Scully...she had developed such an attachment to the boy.

"Ah, I see."

It was then that some nurses and orderly had instructed them that Scully was being removed from emergency and taken to a regular room.

Mulder stayed with her for as long as it took to get the results. He was admittedly worried about her and the baby. That fall could have easily sent her into labor.

It was moments later that a doctor entered the room. He introduced himself to Mulder as Dr. Wright and then proceeded in medical jargon that he didn't understand. What he did understand was that it wasn't all good news.

"Dr. Scully, everything appears to be fine, with you and your baby girl...there is one thing."

Mulder clasped her hand tightly, sensing her tense up at his words.

"What is it, Dr?"

"You didn't just have any ordinary fainting spell...you have eclampsia."

It took a moment to sink in.

"What exactly is that, Dr?"

Scully needed to be the one to tell him. She closed her eyes and turned to him and spoke before Dr. Wright could. "It's a blood pressure condition that occurs during pregnancy, which could lead to a partial abruption like I had before, premature delivery or even..."she couldn't speak the final words.

"Miscarriage otherwise known as stillbirth this late into a pregnancy," the doctor finished.

Scully looked away and he knew she was trying to hide the fact that she was upset by the news.

"Well, will she be okay?" Mulder asked.

"Yes, if she takes it easy. Being a physician can be a very stressful job. Dr. Scully needs to be off her feet as much as possible until she gives birth. And of course, make sure she has a healthy low sodium diet...it's not a permanent condition and should resolve shortly after the baby is born. I'm glad this all happened in a hospital. I'll give you both a few minutes."

Mulder turned to look at Scully and he realized she was crying silently.

"Hey now, that's good news isn't it? If you just rest and take it easy, you'll be fine. You both are okay."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry Mulder, that's not it. I um, I should have known this would happen. I didn't pay attention and that's why this happened."

"How could you have?"

She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes with her teary gaze.

"I had the same condition with William, but earlier on. One of the several complications. That's why I had that partial abruption scare."

Mulder thought back to that time and remembered that it was only shortly after he came back from being dead. He was a real dick during their time. At the time, he did not know everything she had gone through and he instantly felt guilty. What if the reason that happened to her was because of him? He did push her to violate protocols with him while he tried to get himself killed again. He would do anything to go back and change that...to do everything he could to make sure she was comfortable...hell, he would have never left for Oregon and he would never have left her and William alone. Perhaps they could have all been a family right now. It tore him apart.

"No, dammit Scully, I'm sorry. For everything. You lost so much because of me and the least I can do now is make sure you and our daughter are healthy and safe."

"I told you before, Mulder. It was my choice to follow you and none of this was your fault. I'll take maternity leave as soon as I get to say goodbye to Christian. I wanted to make sure he got his last treatment."

Mulder sighed and felt bit better at knowing where Scully would be most of the time so he could watch over her. He worried about her incessantly when she was gone, it got worse when he found out she was pregnant. He was terrified to lose her and the baby. She had made up with her mother, but Mulder still had no one...except for Skinner, Doggett and Reyes at the FBI...and Gibson, wherever he now was. Aside from that, he only had Scully and their unborn daughter and he would do anything to protect them both.

He looked back over at his wife and partner who had closed her eyes. He watched her chest lull up and down as she breathed. She was exhausted and Mulder couldn't begin to imagine how being 7 months pregnant and on your feet all day. It was taking a toll on her.

He moved his chair closer to her and lay next to her. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall asleep next to her. He dreamed a wonderful dream that was often reoccurring to him. In it was a little girl with Scully's strawberry blonde hair, her beautiful face, but with his hazel eyes staring back at him. There was also a boy, he was fairly older than the little girl, he looked like Scully described her patient, Christian, with brown hair and blue eyes that matched her own.

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

A few days later, after deciding to wrap up a few loose ends, Scully decided to take a leave of absence. She started feeling some cramping in her abdomen, which was normal for someone who was nearing the middle of her third trimester. Her mind instantly went back to the familiar complications she had with William and the utter devastation she felt at the thought of losing not only Mulder, but his child as well. She gently smoothed her hand over the taught skin of her distended abdomen and let it linger for a moment as she allowed the baby to assure her she was fine. She finished up one last outpatient procedure on Christian before he was to go home today. She fought back tears as she granted his release. She found herself quickly bolting the room, leaving himself with his parents to help get him ready to go home. She was stopped by Christan's mother and fought to compose herself. "Dr. Scully?"

"Yes," she fought to keep her voice steady.

She crossed her arms over her stomach, not entirely sure she wanted to hear what Christian's mother had to say.

Instead, Scully felt eyes on her abdomen as she spoke. "About before, what I said. I'm sorr-"

Scully shook her head. "It's okay...I know you didn't mean it like that. You couldn't possibly have known."

"But whatever you did, you saved our son with the help of the Lord and we're truly grateful," Christian's mother's eyes were full of unshed tears.

Scully nodded and momentarily looked away. "It's what I do...but um, I feel a strong connection with your son...it's why I was so passionate to save him."

The other woman nodded. "He thinks the world of you Dr. Scully."

Scully felt her lip quiver lightly, even though this wasn't news to her. "I um...I had a child, several years back."

Christian's mother was caught by surprise and a looked a little guilt ridden.

Scully wasn't able to make eye contact. "I had given him up for adoption as a baby as his father and I were in dangerous occupations at the time the put him at risk."

Touched by this revelation, Christian's mother gently touched Scully's shoulder. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

Scully shook her head and regained her composure. "I can't help but imagine him whenever I see your son. I can't undo what I did, but saving your son's life has helped me move forward to continue what I do."

His mother smiled.

"Excuse me," Scully quickly said as she made her way towards the locker room to change out of her increasingly uncomfortable scrubs.

She stopped as she saw Mulder in the corridor...as she did once before when he gave her the news about the death of the FBI agent. His eyes rested on her as she closed the space between them. He watched her, her burgeoning belly in particular. "What's up, Doc? Are you ready?"

Mulder had taken her to work today and insisted on picking her up due to how she had been feeling lately. He was worried about her. "Almost, I just have to sign some paperwork for Christian before he's released."

"Ah," He looked down at her belly. "It is just like old times with you in those scrubs, except it looks like the baby is about to bust out of there and give us as show."

Mulder tried to make light of the situation and was rewarded with a small laugh.

"I honestly think taking the leave is a good idea, Mulder. I can't stand to be in these things for a minute longer. It was so tight around her mid section that she could barely breathe. Mulder laughed and gently reached out to squeeze her hand. "Well, I'll be in the car, okay?"

Scully nodded before retreating to the locker room to change into her more comfortable clothes. She felt similar in a way about taking her leave from this hospital to have her own child as she did when taking her leave from the FBI. Only this time, she was coming back right after.

It was all she could do to muster the will to go and say goodbye to Christian and to this hospital for a few months...though this wouldn't be the last time she saw him she knew that for sure.

Scully came to a stop down the hospital corridor as Christian and his parents saved her part of the trip by wheeling him out. She managed a smile for her young patient that reminded so much of the child she had given up for adoption...or at least how she pictured he would be.

Christian's parents decided to leave them alone for a moment while they went to retrieve some of his things.

"Well, today is the big day, isn't it, Christian?"

"You made me better, Dr. Scully. You didn't give up on me."

Scully's next words caught in her throat. Before she could respond, he continued. "You the best doctah in the world, Dr. Scully. I bet you are the best mommy too."

Scully looked around to make sure that Christian's parents weren't in earshot of that. She felt tears in her eyes and wasn't sure how much more she could handle. "Well, uh, thank you sweetie. But I can tell your mommy loves you very much too."

He smiled and extended his hand. "This is for you, doctah Scully."

She took the enclosed envelope. This was getting to be too much. "Please, come back and visit me soon, okay?"

He smiled and nodded. "I will."

Just before his parents came back to his side, she gently touched his cheek. "Thank you for everything Dr. Scully," Christian's father had said.

Scully managed one last smile. "I hope to see him again soon...I'd like to see how he's doing from time to time."

"Of course," his mother nodded.

"Bye for now, Christian," her voice broke before she quickly turned away to hide her tears.

Mulder was waiting in the parking lot for what seemed like an eternity. He sighed in relief when he saw his lightly redheaded partner exist the building in a haste. When the car door next to him opened, he could tell his partner had been crying. She couldn't look at him and her cheeks looked stained from tears. He knew it had to be that young patient of hers. He one time had stolen a look at this boy...this one who reminded her so much of William. He could see why it was easy for her to get attached to him...but Scully was good with children in general.

"Scully?" he asked, conceded.

"Let's go home, Mulder."

He knew that tone meant there was no arguing or discussion, so he started the engine of the car.

He was ready to go home. His home was only with Scully.

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 10

A few months later, Scully was having difficulty getting around that they had hardly left the house. They both had to admit that this was an unusual occurrence for both of them. Mulder was always afraid to leave her for any length of time...especially since they lived in such a rural area. He couldn't have her give birth without him or God forbid have something and happen to either of them. He did his best to make sure she was off her free as much as possible. As the months went on, the weather got warmer and warmer. It was nearly mid summer now. Today, Mulder had taken the plunge and had asked Scully's mother to come and help him with the final touches to their nursery. He hadn't seen the woman in nearly 7 years since his son was born and he had to admit that he was anxious about this whole thing. It was nearly 630am and Mulder wanted this project before Scully woke up. She had been sleeping a lot lately and later hours, so that made this surprise relatively easy to accomplish. Maggie had brought over what seemed like truckloads of baby items...it was all new though. Scully had told him that Maggie had kept a lot of William's old things once it got too difficult to bear seeing his empty nursery. He couldn't imagine how Scully was even able to clear that room out...if she did at all before their disappearance when he was in trial. Her mother would know better than to re-use any of Will's items. Scully hadn't had much time to gather baby items with work and then being on bed rest...so he wanted her to be rest assured they were ready for the baby to be born. Maggie hadn't said much to him as they stocked and decorated the room together. Not until Maggie saw the blanket in the crib. Her daughter had fessed up about the sex of the baby this time. But the last thing she expected was the working on the baby blanket that was nestled inside. The words "Melissa Scully-Mulder" were embroidered on the fabric. She suddenly felt the tears come and Mulder, who took notice of her silence looked over at her. "Mrs. Scully?"

He walked over to her and noted what caught her eye.

She didn't look over at him, but proceeded to find the right words. "When I saw Dana last month, she told me the sex of the baby, but I didn't ask if she had a name picked out."

Mulder smiled. He knew she had kept William's sex a secret as she wanted him to be the first to know. He was here now, so Scully felt more open about sharing the news. "Well, we agreed that Fox wouldn't be a suitable name. She suggested Samantha, after my sister, but I insisted it should be hers."

Scully's mother nodded and decided that they would get back down to business. They continued to talk as they worked though. Maggie had decided to continue the conversation. "Fox...I just want you to know that I don't blame you for anything...for what's happened. I know Dana made the choices she thought were best...that's my daughter, stubborn and hardheaded."

Mulder couldn't help but smile at that.

"I know she loves you, Fox. I don't think she would have made these choices if there wasn't a good reason for them...but I just have one request."

Mulder nodded. "Of course."

"Please take care of her. She's already lost so much...but I'm sure no one knows that better than you."

Mulder knew Maggie wasn't making a dig at him. He was the one who had been there for every traumatic life event her daughter had been through. He nodded. "I will, Mrs. Scully."

She managed a smile as they put together the finishing touches. Mulder had painted the room the other day and he decided to put glow in the dark stars on the wall. The process had only taken two hours and Scully was still sleeping by the time they finished.

Maggie promised to come back sooner than later. She had seen her daughter resting in her room and didn't want to disturb her. It was only a short while later that Scully had woken up to the smell of Mulder's cooking.

She was about to get out of bed, when the good made its way into the room, with Mulder right behind it.

She smiled. "Mulder, why didn't you wake me? And wow...I'm impressed," she said noting the eggs and bacon.

"You didn't think I was totally helpless, did you Scully? I'm not the best cook, but I know some basics."

"Well, you could have fooled me on all those late night take out runs for 7 years."

Mulder reached over and gently kissed her. "Are you feeling okay?"

She nodded. Though she never slept in, she had been feeling tired quite a bit lately.

Once she finished eating...Mulder set the tray aside and cook her hand in his. "I know you're not supposed to be up...but I wanted to show you something."

Scully gave him that arched brow that indicated that she realized he was up to something.

She couldn't help but feel anxious as he guided her down the hall and then told her to close her eyes. He placed his free hand over her face just in case and she heard a door open and felt him guide her into another room.

She opened her eyes as she said "Surprise". And she didn't expect what was coming next. It was the finished nursery that they had talked about, yet hadn't been able to work on together since she had been so sick. The walls were not blue, not pink, but a violet color with adorning stars on the ceiling. She gasped as she felt tears in her eyes.

What she didn't expect next was Mulder telling her that her mother had come over to help him. She felt a little disappointed.

"We didn't want to wake you since you have hardly slept lately."

She nodded. She normally didn't like surprises...she was a bit cynical after all their years together, but this was what she longed for when she was first pregnant with William. Onesies they bought together in the drawers and some newly purchased. She had a hard time holding back the tears.

"Oh Mulder, this is even more than that ragged doll you gave me all those years ago," she teased.

He pointed to a corner of the dresser where the doll was immaculately placed. "Well, I managed to track it down for you."

Scully went to sit down and admire the room and the fact that they were sharing this together. "Oh Mulder, it's beautiful. Perfect."

He smiled. "I was given another chance...I wanted to make it right." He moved to take her hand. "Well, you've more than made up for it over there past few years. You've sat amazingly still...even if it's gotten on my nerves at times."

"You can count on me to always be around to drive you crazy, Scully."

To be continued...

A/n: hope you like it and for those of you who have watched the revival, hoping you're enjoying the new series!


	11. Chapter 11

pChapter 11: Chapter 11/p

pA/N: Gonna speed things up to catch up to the revival events./p

pThe weeks of maternity leave had seemed to fly by for bother Scully and Mulder. Despite his protest, she had insisted that she have an at home birth and then go into the hospital. Mulder had been terrified. Especially since Scully had hemorrhaged with William and nearly bled to death. But now that she was a practicing Doctor, she felt that it would be "safe" in her medical opinion since everything was as it should be. In the final days, everything was set and ready for the delivery, but it had still come as a shock to Mulder when Scully told him she was in labor. Apparently she had left out the fact that she had been having contractions for several hours and not wanting to worry him. "Dammit, Scully, you're scaring me."/p

pHe did do his best to make sure she was comfortable during the birth, should anything go wrong. Seeing her in pain really tore him up and his stomach was in knots as he told her when to push...at the same time freaking out about how much blood there was. It wasn't long since the baby was delivered. Scully had told him it was because it was her second pregnancy and that each birth generally became faster than the previous one. After he had cut the cord, cleaned off the squalling bundle and received the after birth, Mulder was ready to get them to the hospital. But for the moment, he savored the sight of Scully with her child once more. The little baby had reddish blonde hair, but hazel eyes that strongly resembled his own. She was sobbing both tears of joy and sadness. He felt his heart swell at the sight. She was always so beautiful as a mother and he hoped that this was a second chance for the both of them. Though as terrified as he was, he was glad he had been given this chance to experience this moment with them. He quickly got them to the hospital where she would stay overnight for evaluation to ensure everything was perfect for them both. Mulder had then called Scully's mother at her request in order to come down and see the baby. He could tell Scully was a little apprehensive about her baby being taken away, even though she worked at this hospital for a few years already. Mulder sat next to her in the hospital chair provided to him and took hold of her hand. "How are you doing, Doc?"/p

pShe gave him a groggy smile. "In my medical opinion?"/p

p"Your honest opinion is preferred."/p

p"I'm sore as hell, but I'll live."/p

pHe smiled and leaned over to kiss her forehead. He gently caressed her knuckles./p

pShortly after Scully had arrived at the hospital, she had had her tubal ligation procedure. Despite Mulder asking if she was sure she wanted this, she knew it was the right decision. They were both too old for more children and it was just becoming too risky to chance it./p

pLittle did Mulder know that there was something off about Scully. A feeling she didn't want to acknowledge even to herself./p

pTo be continued.../p


	12. Chapter 12

It had been six months since the birth of Mulder and Scully's baby girl, Melissa. For the first time in several years, Mulder had felt like a father again and for once he felt as if nothing else had mattered anymore besides Scully and their baby. He had made a promise that he would keep them both safe...that she would never again have to feel afraid for her baby's life and be forced to make a choice. Despite that though, something wasn't right with Scully. He knew from his Oxford days that post-partum was fairly common, but what he had been witnessing was unusual. It seemed as if Scully was making a conscious effort not to hold or touch the baby unless it was necessary to feed her, change her or put her to sleep. He was afraid to mention it to her...he felt a bit at a disadvantage since she was the Doctor. He felt terrible that Scully looked uncomfortable holding and bonding with the baby and tried to make up for that as much as possible. It wasn't his daughter's fault. He also felt for Scully and he knew that whatever she was going through right now that didn't allow her to properly bond with Melissa was probably due to the fact that she felt forced to give up William and was doing her best not to get too attached to this baby. But in a lot of ways, her maternal instinct still took over whenever she cried or needed her for any reason. Scully was still very attentive to those needs. Many years ago, he recalled Scully mentioning during therapy that she had always tried not to get too attached to people, because in some way she felt as if those relationships had failed and thus perceived those attachments as a bad thing. He was certain that was what was happening now and he was over come with an overwhelming love for both of them that he was admittedly scared. Did she realize she was acting this way? He lay awake as Scully put Melissa to sleep and came to lay in the bed with him. "Scully,"

"Hmm, what is it, Mulder?"

"Are you okay?" he was careful about his choice of wording.

"Yes, why?"

"Umm, it's just that...I've noticed...it just feels like you've built up this wall between you and our daughter."

"That's ridiculous, Mulder."

"Is it? I mean, after everything that's happened, it would be entirely understandable that-"

She pulled away from him and stopped him short. "I love my baby, Mulder."

He knew that she did and that she would risk her life to protect her. But the fact that she was separating herself emotionally wasn't good for the baby's health either.

"I know that, Scully. I know you do."

"Then there isn't a problem."

He sighed. There was just no way Scully was going to take this well at all.

He felt a little betrayed as Scully pulled away. He lay away until the darkness allowed sleep to consume him.

A few hours later, Scully awoke with with a sense of longing she could no longer explain. She looked over at the clock that read 2AM and gently slipped out of bed after taking one last glance at Mulder's sleeping form. Quickly putting on some clothes and throwing on a coat, he made her way into her baby's room. She stopped momentarily to watch her child's peaceful sleeping form. She looked over at the baby monitor nearby and turned it off. As if on cue, Melissa's eyes popped open and connected with her own. Her little arms reached up towards she as they often did. It was a gesture she usually ignored, but today she gingerly lifted the baby from her crib and began to change her into warm clothes for the snowy, cold weather outside. The baby whimpered slightly. "Shhh, it's okay," she whispered. Once she got Melissa changed, she looked back down the hall towards the bedroom to ensure all was silent before making her retreat from the house. She walked towards the Taurus she shared with Mulder, not paying any mind to the darkness of the night despite living in the middle of nowhere. She opened the door to the back seat and gently set Melissa down into it as she securely buckled her in. Then she got into the car and began to drive down the long, narrow roads away from their home.

She listened to the soft music on the radio as the time passed and she was the only driver on the road for quite some time. She continued looking into her review mirror at her baby, who was blissfully sleeping in her car seat, without a care in the world. She smiled to herself. It seemed like an eternity before she pulled up to her destination, about a few hours later. He has honestly lost track of where she was driving to until she pulled up in front of a fire station. She had looked over shortly before stopping to see her phone on the passenger seat light up a few times, not paying it much mind.

Scully brushed away the cold breeze as she opened the door of the back seat and began to remove Melissa from the car seat. As if on cue, her daughter opened her big hazel colored eyes and began to whimper. Scully paused for a moment and felt her hands trembling around her daughter. Something inside of her was screaming "No". Shaking it off, she began to lift her daughter out of the car when one of her little hands caught into the gold chain around her neck. She paused for a moment and looked down to see her daughter looking at it in awe. It was at that moment, she relived a similar moment with her first daughter, Emily. She felt a raw emotion she couldn't entirely comprehend, but the next thing she knew, she removed the necklace and placed it around her baby. It looked much too big for her, so she tucked it slightly under her the jacket she wore. "It will keep you safe, okay?"

She placed the baby on her hip and walked up to the station, which was entirely dead at this time of night with no one in sight. She came up to a large fire truck and as if her body was moving at it's own accord, found the latch and pulled the door open. She gently set her baby down inside and took one last look at her. The baby started to cry as if she just realized what was happening. Something in Scully yearned for her to grab her daughter, to console her and drive back to the safety of their home...but a force equally as powerful made her quickly close the door and run before anyone could see them.

To be continued...

A/n: sorry to leave you with a sad cliffhanger...please stay tuned to see what happens! Been playing with this idea for some time.


	13. Chapter 13

Mulder grew increasingly worried, not only about the fact that she left the house in the middle of the night with their baby, but she also wasn't answering her phone. He made a mental note to get a second car for himself asap, even if he worked at home and hardly left the house. It was times like this where he felt stranded and helpless. Where did Scully go? What she upset by what he said? He had decided hesitantly to call her mother, even though he knew it would worry the older woman sick. He had to know where she was though and if their baby was okay. Not that he would ever suspect Scully of hurting their child...intentionally anyways.

"Mrs. Scully. I'm sorry to bother you. Dana left the house sometime earlier tonight and I can't reach her on her cell. Has she stopped by there."

He could tell by the worried words that came next that Maggie didn't know where she was either. "No she hasn't stopped by here. Is she okay, Fox? What happened?!"

Mulder briefly told her about what had been going on with Scully's behavior towards the baby. He could tell Maggie was panicking just as much as he was. "Did she take the baby with her?"

"Yes."

She sighed. "She went through something similar...when she gave William up for adoption...I wasn't very supportive back then. I just couldn't bring myself to understand at the time, but she wasn't herself, Fox. Whenever I saw her, it seemed as if she had lost all resolve, all will to go on. I was afraid she wasn't going to make it, Fox." Mulder swallowed when he heard her voice break. "Please bring her home and make sure she and my grand baby are okay."

"I know. I will Mrs. Scully, whatever it takes. I'll be in touch." He disconnected the phone as he realized something. Was Scully disconnecting herself so she could place Melissa for adoption? But why would she do that...they were in a place to keep this baby safe now. Things were different. Not like before. Something else then triggered his memory and he rushed over to his desk and opened his laptop. Not long ago, from his research he recalled there being reports of former abductees forcibly surrendering their children. Either at gatherings or at safe havens. Each story was similar, each abductee couldn't recall the act of surrendering their kids. They also had another thing in common, they claimed these actions were as a result of the chips in their necks. Mulder was not beyond petrified. Losing his child in the same way he lost his sister terrified him and plagued him in dreams to no end. He didn't want to lose any one else. His next call was made to A.D. Skinner.

On the drive home, Scully felt something was off. Something that wasn't right, but she couldn't quite place it. As she pulled up into the driveway, she realized she had been gone several hours now as the sun started to slowly rise. Scully opened the door to a stricken Mulder, who looked as if he had been waiting for her. "Scully, where the hell have you been?"

She shrugged. "I went for a drive."

"Where's the baby?"

She looked at him, confused. This made him panic even more. "What do you mean, Mulder? What baby?"

He sucked in a breath of air as if someone had punched him in the gut.

"What do you mean, what baby?! Melissa, our daughter?! Where is she, Scully?!" he demanded, grabbing onto her harder than he intended. When she continued to stare at him, he steered her towards the open nursery. As she examined the room, she felt the peices begin to be put together. Her expression went from confused to pained. He could tell that she was probably beginning to relive past events and he wanted so much to spare her from that, but he couldn't. She looked towards the pink bedding and to the photographs on the dresser of her three beloved children. "Oh god," her voice broke. As he witnessed her fall to her knees, he realized she must be processing what was happening until it finally clicked. "My baby...where's my baby?!" she began to sob. He was at her side, clearly confused. "Shh, it's okay, talk to me, Scully...tell me where you went."

She frantically shook her head. "I don't know...I don't know!" A feeling of dread began to settle in the pit of his stomach. "What do you remember?"

"I was driving...I don't know where. I took little Missy with me and then came back."

She threw her arms up frantically. "I abandoned my baby."

He caught her wrists in his hand and though he was aware of her small frame, she felt even smaller and more fragile than usual. She crumpled back to the floor, not being able to entertain at all what she had done. For the first time, Mulder had felt helpless to console her.

To be continued...


	14. Chapter 14

Once Mulder was able to sooth Scully as much as possible, he told her about the article and stories he had been investigating about women...former abductees who had surrendered their children as if providing an offering. She looked at him in horror before touching the back of her neck. "You mean...this THING is responsible for making me abandon my child?" she closed her eyes in resignation. She fought back another sob thinking back to the day she gave away her baby boy. "How the hell can I know this isn't what made me give up William?"

Mulder placed his hands on her shoulders, urging her to look at him. "You did it to protect him and keep him safe...that was different." She shook her head. "How do we really know that?" she choked back another sob before running into the living room, ripping open a bag of sterile medical supplies she always kept on hand. When she pulled out what looked like a scalpel, he gasped in horror. "Scully...Dana, what are you doing?!"

When she pulled back her long strawberry blonde locks of hair, he realized what she was about to do and lunged forward. "STOP," he screamed. Just as she knife pierced her delicate skin, she felt the weight of his body easily push her small frame to the ground, knocking the scalpel away in the process. He grabbed her arms harder than he intended when she reached for the weapon. "No, Scully!"

"Mulder, you have to let me do this...this is the reason our baby...babies are gone."

He pinned her wrists down easily as she struggled. "Let me go!"

He forced her to look directly at him. "You think I'm going to let the mother of my children die of cancer. Your illness will come back, Scully and our baby won't have a mother to care and love her."

She shook her head. "Better off without me."

She crumpled to tears.

He used the remaining of his strength to pull her upright. "Hey...Hey."

He pulled her tightly to his chest as she let out several heart wrenching sobs.

"It's okay. It's going to be okay. We'll find her."

Once Mulder was certain Scully was no longer a danger to herself and had sobbed herself to sleep, he gently lifted and placed her on the couch. He pulled a blanket up around her and grabbed the keys before dashing outside to the car, searching it for any trace of evidence of where she may have gone. He unlocked the glove compartment and retrieved the GPS they had recently purchased and began scanning through it's history for any indication of where Scully may have taken Melissa. Nothing. He then retrieved the mileage log Scully kept in the side door and inspected the history. He noted a stop for gas that was made earlier. He inspected the one prior to that and did some slight calculations. He had no idea how much gas was in the car before she left, so he had to take a quick guess...along with the mileage used before she would need to stop and get gas. Scully always refilled around 3/4 of a tank. She was so incoherent that he was sure she couldn't recollect much other than the fact that she had surrendered her baby. Once he figured a mile radius, he placed another call to Skinner asking him to contact every possible adoption agency within that tedious to see if a baby matching Melissa's criteria had been placed. He could always call himself and forge his identity like he did once before, though he was certain Skinner wouldn't like that too much. It had only given him trouble in the past. If anyone could get the answers he needed quickly, it would be Skinner. He needed to do this. He was afraid what would become of Scully especially, as the guilt surrounding William's adoption had never ceased.

To be continued...


	15. Chapter 15

Even though Agents Mulder and Scully no longer worked under him, Skinner still pulled whatever strings he could for the two former agents.

He located all of the safe havens within 2 hours drive from Mulder & Scully's address. Of course, nearly all of them were difficult to obtain information from, so it required the usual pull of his authority to get anywhere. It was a process, but he was able to locate a center that recently had a baby admitted that matched the description of Mulder & Scully's daughter, Melissa, with the assistance of some other agents of his. Since Mulder & Scully no longer had the authority, getting the child back wasn't going to be simple for them, but it would be fairly easily for him as the Assistant Director. Whatever it was, these two always seemed to keep him on his feet without a dull moment.

When he notified Mulder that he had a lead, he took the rest of the day and tomorrow off to make the drive. Understandably, Mulder didn't want to leave Scully alone, judging by the behavior he described, nor did he want to risk her seeing Melissa just yet in her current frame of mind.

Skinner wasn't a doctor, or a scientist, nor did he even study psychology other than criminal behavior, but he did know the basics about PTSD from being in the marines and he knew about Post Partum Depression. He suspected Scully was suffering mentally from the combination of PTSD and PPD. He paid her a visit after William's adoption was arranged and he had never seen her at such a low point in her life during all nine years that she worked under him as he did that day.

She went against his orders to take personal time off. She felt she had to work to escape the void she felt in her heart. He suspected that her condition never having been treated since she not long after left D.C. aiding a convicted felon, was coming back to haunt her now. To this day, he was the only one other than Monica Reyes who knew where William was. He hoped anyways. Reyes left the FBI suddenly a few years back with little explanation.

About eight years ago, there were forces inside the FBI that could read everyone's minds. It's how they found out where Mulder & Scully went to when they fled. Though they were able to remain off the charts after the bombings rendered them to be dead for several years until no one cared, so long as Mulder was gone for good. He had made a promise to Scully that he would never reveal whereabouts of William to her when he and Monica helped her arrange the adoption and sealed the records. But he often wondered if that was the right choice.

Mulder often told him of Scully's nightmares and daydreams via text message, wondering if her son thought of her too or hated her for giving up on him.

He resisted the urge to pay a check up to the address sealed inside a secret safe inside of his home. An address he dared not to even keep encrypted on his computer for fear of it being decrypted.

He pulled his full sized Exposition SUV onto the cold snowy road, heading to the place that supposedly carried Mulder & Scully's child. He had never seen this child before, not other than the photo Mulder had sent to him in a multimedia text message to be identified. To be honest, he hadn't seen them in nearly a year since Mulder had almost gotten himself killed again...when Scully had told him she was pregnant and was terrified their argument would be the last words spoken between them when Mulder was helping them with the Father Joe case.

He sighed, wondering how he got himself into this. But he knew one thing for sure and that was that he was going to get this child back safely to her parents, even if it was the last thing he did.

About two hours later, Skinner pulled to a stop in front of the address he had inputted into his GPS earlier. He didn't have much in the way of "supplies" for a baby, but he was able to obtain a car seat along with some basics from headquarters.

He pulled his coat closer to his body as he prepared to meet the freezing cold weather outside. It was on a night just like this when he was driving Scully to go search for Mulder, whatever fate lay ahead of them. He wasn't leaving this place without their baby. He entered the center and flashed his badge for the blonde receptionist who looked at him questioningly. "Mr. Skinner, Assistant Director Walter Skinner from the FBI?"

Skinner nodded. "Yes, I believe there is a child that was accidentally placed here by an agent that used to work under my jurisdiction."

She nodded slowly, obviously confused by this whole scenario. "I've been told to expect you, but I just don't understand why you're here. This is a safe haven for parents to relinquish their children for reasons they need not disclose."

He nodded. "I understand. And it's come to my attention that this child, Melissa Scully-Mulder, was not intended to be given up."

More confused looks from the receptionist. "But why would she be brought to a place like this, Assistant Director Skinner?"

Skinner sighed. "I have known the parents of this child for a very long time and it is my understanding that while the mother very much wanted this child, she appears to be suffering from severe PTSD and Post Partum Depression and wasn't herself when she took her here. You see, she had given her first child up for adoption several years ago as being an FBI agent can be a very dangerous line of work and his safety was in question. While she is no longer with the FBI, she probably shares those same fears in regards to this child."

The young receptionist nodded and seemed to be satisfied with that answer. "I'll be right back."

Skinner sighed with relief. He just wanted to get the child home safely. He couldn't imagine what Mulder and Scully were going through right now, wondering where their precious baby was.

A few minutes later after overhearing some discussion, he saw the young woman return with a whimpering baby in her arms.

"She's been crying non stop since she got here," the young woman explained. "No doubt wondering why her mother left."

Skinner was about to reply when he got a glimpse of the child's face. She had reddish blonde hair and hazel colored eyes that satisfied any and all doubt he may have had about this child's genetics. He didn't understand why, but he felt an emotion that he hadn't felt before. He realized he had been staring at the baby whose attention was now entirely focused on him for several minutes. "Uh okay," he said as he moved to take the little girl in his arms, ever so gently as if he were afraid he was going to drop her and have a ruthless Mulder at his expense. The baby closed her eyes and quieted as if she already trusted him. He didn't even need to refer to the photo on his phone, when he saw the golden chain necklace that sticking out from under Melissa's onsie, he knew without a doubt who this baby's parents were. Though he wasn't sure weather to be honored or skeptical of the fact that this baby seemed to trust him already.

She girl smiled. "Well, she sure likes you a lot. It's the first time she stopped crying since getting here. None of us knew what to do."

Another woman had approached the blonde receptionist with what appeared to be a diaper bag. Skinner took it in his free hand and took another glance at baby 'Melissa'. She was bundled up quiet well with a beanie and scarf and everything. Of course Scully wouldn't miss anything in this weather, even if she wasn't in the right frame of mind. She always seemed to be prepared.

Skinner was still silent, so the younger woman broke the silence. "Well, do you have everything you need? It looks like her mom made sure she was well protected from the cold."

He nodded. "Yeah, I can assure you that whatever the circumstances, I'd never doubt that this child is loved very much and her parents desperately want her home."

She seemed convinced and nodded. "Good luck".

"Thanks."

Skinner turned and hurried out of the building and quickly put the bag in the same arm he carried Melissa in to swing the back door open. It was freezing outside and despite the fact that she was well protected against the elements, he wanted to get her safely inside.

He had some trouble figuring out the seatbelt on the carseat from never having used one before, but he finally figured it out and set the bag on the ground. He took a second to observe the baby again who rewarded him with a smile on return. "Your parents are the reason I'm bald, you know."

She rewarded him with a squeal and Skinner had never felt his heart swell with warmth, even despite the freezing cold.

He gently touched her cheek. "Don't worry sweetheart, I'm going to get you home safe and sound, okay?"

He closed the door and jumped into the driver's seat, ready for the turbulent drive to Mulder & Scully's house.

To be continued...

A/n: Sorry it took so long, I think this is going to be much longer than anticipated leading up to ss10.


	16. Chapter 16

It seemed like an eternity as Mulder waited for Skinner to track Melissa's possible whereabouts. It was fairly easy for Skinner to spot the precise location with the information Mulder was able to pull since Scully always tracked the mileage and gas stops. But what he didn't understand was why she blanked on that act entirely. It wasn't going to be easy for him to convince her to see someone. He was pretty sure she was suffering from PTSD and Post Partum Depression from his psychology days. But part of him believed it may have had something to do with the chip in her neck due to his recent findings. He was honestly scared for them both. After he talked with Skinner, he asked for Scully's mom to come and talk with her. He hated having to do it in the middle of the night, asking the older woman to make the drive to this rural part of Virginia. But like many times in the past, Margaret Scully was the only one that Scully would confide to aside from him.

Since this involved their child, he knew she felt ashamed to tell him anything. He knew she thought he probably hated her. Not only for William's adoption, but having come very close to giving up their second child. He knew she thought he probably couldn't trust her and part of that was probably true, with what just happened. Though he hated to admit it. When Maggie had come over just a little while ago, she took her distraught daughter away from the baby's room and held her for as long as it took. She wanted her daughter to talk to her, so she could understand what had caused her to do such a thing, but she knew Dana enough that she wasn't going to talk until she was ready to.

Mulder stated at their room down the hallway, watching the two of them. It had taken a good couple of hours for Scully to finally stop crying. He sighed as Maggie sadly made eye contact with him until his attention was caught by tires hitting gravel up the road. Mulder had made his way down the long stretch of road to open the gate for Skinner shortly before his arrival. He was glad Maggie was there with Scully as he was too afraid to leave her alone for any length of time.  
His heart picked up a notch with anxiety. He felt immediate relief when he saw the government suv began to pull into the long driveway before their home. He wanted to run out the door and pull the door open before the car stopped, but he knew doing that would likely gain Scully's attention and he didn't want to startle homer otherwise fragile state of mind. He looked over at Maggie again as he nodded towards the doorway. He knew she was dying to see her grandchild as well, but she wasn't going to leave her daughter's side for the same reasons Mulder respected. He opened the front door and made his way onto the porch. It was already nearing 7am and Mulder hadn't slept all night. He couldn't begin to explain the sense of relief he felt when Skinner opened the door of the SUV and nodded an unspoken agreement between the two of them. He headed down the stairs and literally ran the rest of the way. By then, Skinner had opened the door to let Mulder do the honors.

"It wasn't an easy drive, but finding her was easy enough."

Mulder felt tears in his eyes when his gaze rested on the child that was sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the earlier events that took place.

"Oh my god, sir...Walter, I don't know how to begin to thank you."

Skinner managed a small smile. "You can start by figuring out who or what the hell made Scully do this. She wouldn't do something like this...I mean not this way anyways," he said catching himself.  
Mulder knew he was referring to the adoption. That had been a well thought out and traumatizing decision for Scully that he couldn't be there for. But this? There was no reason to do this now, no when she still longed to be a mother so badly after all this time. Not when their lives were semi normal now.

"I know, sir. We're going to get to the bottom of that. I may need your help though."

Skinner pinched his nose, but he knew Mulder was right. He gently removed the baby from the car seat and kissed her as if he was afraid he would never have seen her again. Another awkward moment for Skinner, though he was perplexed to be honest as he had never really seen Mulder as a father before. If there was one thing he never doubted it was definitely that Mulder and Scully would be good parents.

Skinner followed Mulder into the house. He couldn't help but worry about Scully as well. Mulder had sent him a text message earlier saying that her mother had come over. As they entered the house, Mulder saw Maggie walking towards them, but not after she closed the bedroom door. This made Mulder worry even more. Was Scully too afraid to see their baby after what happened or did she not want to see her. He was going to assume it was the former. He couldn't help but hand Melissa over to Maggie who had tears running down her cheeks. Skinner stood awkwardly to the side and watched the scene before him unfold.

"Oh god," the small older woman's voice broke as she looked over the baby. "My only granddaughter, she's okay. She's really okay," she continued as the little girl cooed back at her in response.

In the other room, Scully lay on her side and covered her mouth with the comforter of their bed to stifle any sounds as she let the tears fall, careful not to warrant anymore attention to herself today. Truth was, she wanted so badly to see for herself that her baby was okay; that is really was her. She wanted to hold her tightly and tell her repeatedly she would never leave her again. But she couldn't. She abandoned her baby, both of them and she didn't deserve to see them again. She let the sobs come as she overheard the commotion in the other room.

It had felt like an eternity before Skinner spoke, noting the fact that Scully was still in the other room. "Is it okay if I go see her?"

Maggie and Mulder exchanged hesitant glances before Skinner decided to take it upon himself. He slowly knocked and called out "Dana?" with no response, he slowly turned the knob and what he saw stopped him in his tracks. A sudden sense of dejavu hit him all at once. There she was, back towards him, curled on her side, crying muffled sobs. His heart fell suddenly. This was all too familiar. It was the way he found her shortly after she had given William away, with Mulder gone. She and her mom at odds, with no one else. He was there to comfort her once again as he did many times before, especially when they had found Mulder's body in the woods that night. "Dana?" she seemed to quiet that the mention of her name again. Skinner gingerly sat at the edge of the bed, across from her, facing straight ahead. He fumbled with his hands. He glanced over, noting how her longer hair was strewn about in a mess above the covers. "Dana, could you please tell me why you don't want to see your baby?"

It was then that Scully sat up, though still not facing him. She was still wearing her clothes from going out earlier that night. "I-I do want to see her, so much," she said in a shaky voice.

"Then why are you doing this to yourself, Dana?"

"Because she's not safe with me. She deserves better."

"I don't really think that's true. Do you think that's what she wants."  
"She won't want to see me anyways, not after..."  
"Are you sure about that. Why don't you see for yourself. Dana, I know I could never understand everything that you've gone through. But I do understand what it's like to feel like the choices you've made could have been different, but couldn't be helped at the time. I've seen things in my time as a marine that I can't unsee nor undo. I've shot children in cold blood. Of course, there isn't a day that goes by that I wonder if there was some way a different choice could have been made. But it was fight or flight, Dana. I know you can't undo what has been done, but you made the best choice at the time. Its okay not to punish yourself for it."

Scully seemed to consider this. "I love her so much. I do. I'm just so afraid I'm going to lose her too."

"Dana?" her mother's voice sounded from the other side of the room. Skinner rose as he allowed the older Scully to enter the room. "I'll be in the other room, okay?"

Scully nodded as he exited and shut the door behind him. Scully's mother placed her arms around her. "I know you're afraid, that you don't think you have a right to this child. You're afraid of attachment, of losing someone you love. But you have to love her, Dana."

Scully closed her eyes and allowed more tears to fall. "I know, mom. And I love her so much...but I'm so afraid."

"I know, honey," she whispered. "But can you please try?"

Scully's hands shook. She wanted so badly to see her child, but she wasn't sure she could face the guilt. "Okay, but I need some time alone with her, please."

Maggie nodded and went to grab Mulder. Mulder emerged into their bedroom. "Scully?" he whispered.

"I-I want to see her, but I want a few minutes alone, is that okay?"

It appalled him she felt she needed to ask, but he could understand why. And truth be told he was a little worried. But he knew Scully well enough to know she would never hurt their baby.

He gently reached for her hand and took it in his own, leading her from their room to their baby's room, where she now appeared to be fast asleep.

He watched for her reaction and he could tell she was fighting back tears. So he did as she asked and closed the door behind him.

Scully felt an enormous sense of relief seeing her baby fast asleep in her crib. She was afraid to move and disrupt that tranquility. She felt her body shake with emotion.

"My baby," she whispered as she finally neared the crib. She covered her mouth, afraid she would startle her with her emotion.

She gingerly reached town and smoothed a finger over Melissa's tiny cheek. "Oh sweetie," her voice wavered. "I'm so sorry."

She hardly noticed as a tear tell onto the child's face, causing her hazel eyes to open wide. However, she didn't cry once she saw the long red haired person standing before her that she immediately identified as her mother. Instead, she let out a small cooing noise and reached up to Scully with her little arms. Scully let out a small sob and reached into the crib with trembling hands, to take her daughter into her arms. It was then that she didn't stop the tears from coming. She had waited so long to be able to hold and love her baby without any fear, that she held onto her tightly for dear life. "I'm so sorry baby. I'm so sorry," she whispered through sobs as she began to reverently kiss the tiny baby's head.

As if sensing her mother's distress, baby Melissa started to cry. "Shhh, it's okay sweetie. It's okay. I'm here. I promise. I'm never going to leave you again. I love you so much," she whispered as she sat down in the nearby rocking chair pulling the baby blanket over them both. She took in the fresh baby scent that Scully knew could only belong to her baby. She couldn't stop crying, even though she knew Melissa was sensing her distress. But she was overwhelmed with guilt and needed to convince herself more than her baby that everything would be okay.

Unbeknownst to her, Mulder stood on the other side of the door. The pain and guilt she was experiencing broke his heart, but he felt the overwhelming love he knew Scully had for their baby and hoped they could get through this together.

A/N: Please R&R


	17. Chapter 17

It had been a few days since the traumatic events had ensued with Scully nearly losing another child. It was still unclear what exactly caused her actions and that terrified her. Especially once Mulder told her about the reports of abductees surrendering their children as a result of the chip in their necks. But they both knew the fate that would result should it be removed. She didn't believe it was the chip that caused her actions, however. She had purposely avoided getting close to her child, for fear that one day she would be gone from her life like William and Emily. Today, she needed to go back into work to finish up some things. One of which included looking into some therapists to help her deal with the PTSD and PPD she was suffering from. Admitting she wasn't well mentally wasn't an easy task, especially to Mulder. She gathered her briefcase that contained important medical files and records of some of her patients. Some work of which had been done at home the past few weeks. She had also grabbed another bag that contained a breast pump. She would need to pump at least 2-3 times while at work and it was about a 20 minute process. She hadn't really breastfed in the last 6 months post birth due to the attachment issues she was experiencing, but she was still a Doctor and knew the health benefits of breast milk and wanted to continue to breastfeed for another 6 months at least. She felt her heart heavy against her chest as she made her way towards the living room, but not before grabbing a thin bagel and lite cream cheese. Mulder, who was pacing in the kitchen couldn't help but wear a large grin on his face at this simple act. It was so Scully.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Oh nothing, I was noticing your beautifully plumper cheeks and how it couldn't be this bagel causing them."

She eyed him suspiciously, not sure whether or not that was a comment or an insult.

"Well, Mulder, it's definitely not from your frozen dinner hoard, that's for sure."

She had to admit, she missed this playful banter between them as it made her reminiscent of happier times.

He frowned when he saw Scully stop and hesitate after she put on those ridiculous heels. "Scully?" he asked with genuine concern.

She stopped and looked over across the room to where her baby sat watching her in the living room. She felt her heart sink. Truth was that she had work she needed to catch up on, but she was suddenly plagued with guilt over having not spent enough time with her child. Mulder watched as she made her way towards the bouncer their baby was in and knelt down next to the baby who cooed up at she as if Scully were the center of her little universe. Scully smiled and gently touched the baby's cheek, suddenly guilt ridden that she was about to leave. "Mommy has to go to work, but I'll be home soon, I promise." She kissed the top of her head and smoothed back the few stray hairs. Before Scully could stand back up properly, the infant managed to catch a lock of her long strawberry blonde hair in her little hand and Scully began to have trouble keeping her emotions at bay. She didn't want to leave; she shouldn't leave. But she had to. She admired the oversized gold necklace peeking out from her daughter's clothes. The necklace she had given her to protect her and keep her safe. She bit her lip as she carefully moved her daughter's fist into her hands and kissed it gently. "I love you so much, sweetie. I promise I will be back, okay? Can you make sure your daddy behaves?"

The baby smiled back in response. Mulder had come to stand next to her, but not before gathering Melissa in his arms as if telling her if was okay to go ahead. What she didn't expect though after Mulder kissed her goodbye, was for Melissa to suddenly burst into a full on crying fit. Watched helplessly as the baby struggled against her father's grip towards her. She felt her breathing become more shallow as part of her willed her heavy iron feet closer to the door. As she placed a hand on the doorknob, she gave one last sympathetic look to Mulder who nodded his approval for her to continue to leave. But as she looked at her daughter's desperate pleading face, she felt tears well up into her own eyes and bit down hard on her quivering lip to keep her emotions at bay. She couldn't shake the sudden guilt that her baby must have thought she was leaving her again. Would she ever be able to forgive herself? She turned away as a lose tear fell and pulled open the door and quickly closed it behind her to silence her daughter's cries as she forced her way down the porch steps to her Ford Focus. It wasn't until she was inside of her car that Mulder had stepped onto the porch, watching her. Clearly making sure that she was okay. She looked up at him with tear filled eyes before making any further moves. He crossed his arms in obvious concern as his gaze locked with hers. She closed her eyes for a moment before turning the keys in the ignition and pulling away from their home.

To be continued...

A/n: Poor Scully...hope you guys like it. Please review! I can't stress it enough. I need to know how I'm doing. :)


	18. Chapter 18

Scully pulled into her reserved space in the parking garage at work, after spending the last 30 minutes in tears. She checked the rearview mirror to analyze her makeup quickly, which had run all over the place. She quickly dabbed the remnants and simply touched up her eyeliner and lipstick before gathering her things and getting out of the car. She had a double shift today, so it was going to be especially hard for her to be away from her child after everything that had happened a few days ago. She did have an appointment with a therapist later on today, to which Mulder was going to meet her at the hospital so he could accompany her for support. Every minute that passed seemed to take an eternity, however. It wasn't going to be easy to focus on the pile of paperwork on her desk.

As with every morning, Scully was rewarded with similar stares that always took her back to her FBI days in the hallways. Since the procedure with Christian, she had been unpopular, though given a lot of recognition for success of the life saving surgery everyone else had been against. She stole away into the office she shared with the other blonde doctor, who was thankfully not in the office at the moment. If anyone looked closely enough, it wouldn't be hard to tell she had spent 30 minutes crying herself a river. She was pretty sure though the other Doctor, Dr. Anderson was used to her emotional tendencies. She often stole away into her office trying to hide as she let the tears come during Christian's treatments. She usually took that as her cue to find a reason to leave the office to tend to some other unknown business. Ever since Scully had left the home she and Mulder shared, she knew she had made a terrible mistake. She needed to be with her child. While she knew separation anxiety was common and unavoidable, she knew she needed to bond with her child that had suffered as a result of her mental condition.

With that thought in mind, she planned her immediate leave of absence from work for at least 6 weeks, which she would turn into Father Ybarra at the end of today. But today, she needed to take care of the patient consultations she had scheduled. She hated putting the other hospital staff in a tight bind on this short notice, but she needed to be with Mulder and her baby.

It had taken Mulder a while, but he had gotten Melissa to calm down once Scully left. "It's okay, Princess. Mommy is coming back, okay?"

They had an appointment in the middle of the afternoon with Scully's therapist. His plan was to meet her at the hospital and drive her over. She didn't want to admit her weaknesses, typical Scully. But he knew she suffered so much than he could ever describe over the loss of William. There was no way he could ever fill that void. She had to make that decision alone and the reality was that he couldn't quite mourn the loss in the same way she did. For him, he felt a loss of what could have been. The reality that he was going to be a father came and went so quickly, that he didn't have time to process that face nor sufficient time to bond with his son. For Scully, she had bonded with him from the moment she found out she was pregnant, up until nearly a year after his birth. Trying to share in Scully's pain and difficult decision to the same extent just wasn't realistic. He wasn't enough to mend her broken heart. As he looked down at his daughter that looked so much like his beautiful wife, he only hoped she would be able to find some closure so they would be able to live a somewhat normal life.

As Scully walked the halls of Lady of Sorrows, she felt fatigue plaguing her entirety. A symptom she knew was very common with many, if not most forms of depression. She was torn between the love for her daughter and the fear of losing another child. Dealing with patients with terminal illnesses today wasn't helping anything. She did, however, feel a smile pull at her lips at the sight of a familiar boy headed down the hall with support crutches towards her. "Dr. Scully."

"Hi Christian," she had smiled wider for the first time in many months than she had before. He was no longer reliant on a wheelchair and the sense of what she had accomplished in those many gruesome months during his treatment was finally paying off. Of all of her failures, she was glad she could give this boy another chance at life. "We just came to have Christian do some labwork," his mother explained. "But he was insistent on finding you. You're all he ever talks about now."

Scully couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion as tears welled in her eyes. For a moment, she was unable to speak. She knew her sleepless nights while working desperately to save this boy were fueled by the desire to somehow atone for her failures as a mother with William. She worked hard to save many lives every day. Looking at this boy, she felt the guilt she had been plagued with so many years slowly lift from her shoulders.

Before she could compose herself, Scully felt the boy quickly wrap his arms around her without allowing himself to falter. She usually didn't want to be unprofessional in any way with a patient, but she had always felt such a connection with boy whom she imagined probably looked similar to her son. She returned the hug.

"It was because of your beliefs in God that we didn't give up," Mrs. Fearon continued. "You must be his guardian angel."

Scully blushed slightly as she released Christian. "It's my job to save lives everyday," she smiled modestly.

"Please just accept the compliment, Doctor."

As Christian smiled up with her with deep blue eyes, he leaned in and whispered into her ear. "You're the best Doctah in the world, I know you must be the best mommy too."

Scully bit her lip as she knew she wouldn't be able to remain composed if she didn't. "Uh, thank you sweetie," she managed quickly. As Scully turned briefly to collect herself, a bearded man in a hooded jacket quickly brushed by her, but not before giving her a glance that sent chills down her spine. She closed her eyes and shook her head, they had been safe for the last seven and a half years, yet she couldn't ignore the tightness in her gut his deathly state gave her. She closed her eyes again and shook her head. "Dr. Scully," Christian's mother said again, drawing her back to reality. "Oh yes, I'm sorry. Can you excuse me for a minute?" the parents nodded in understanding, but Christian managed to grab onto her hospital jacket, startling her. He knew she didn't mean to do so, but she was now on edge. "Here, for your baby at home," he said pressing something fuzzy into her hand, before his parents pulled him along. Scully felt her hand grasp onto whatever it was as she continued down the hall to the restroom facilities.

When she was alone, she looked down to see a small teddy bear in her hand that was holding a small red heart. With a combination of emotion for this boy who reminded her so much of William and anxiety from the ominous hallway stranger, she clutched tightly onto the object as if for dear life, before placing it into the pocket of her hospital gown. Thankfully, she was alone in the facilities and as she quickly splashed some running water over her face, she realized Mulder was coming to pick her up soon for her appointment. She closed her eyes, realizing she was probably being ridiculous. It was just force of habit to regard others with such high suspicion.

She didn't want to rile Mulder up for nothing...especially considering how far he took the smallest things. He would probably want to find an unethical way of getting a hold on the hospital security cameras and see if he knew this man. There was no need for any alarm right now, especially since he was recently exonerated. She sighed, she had to get back to work if she was going to take more time off.

To be continued...


	19. Chapter 19

When Scully had requested her medical leave of absence, she ended up agreeing to staying a few days longer than she originally planned. She had patients scheduled and she didn't really want to leave Our Lady high and dry. Plus, she wanted to tie up a few loose ends before her six weeks away from work. She was anxious for the break at work to go to the Dr. appointment and seeing Mulder near the entrance of the hospital was a sight that warmed her heart immediately. For not long ago living life as a bachelor, life on the run and recently, life as a fugitive, she had to give him some credit for playing stay at home daddy, even though he did technically work at home. "Wassup, Doc?" he said once the entrance sliding doors closed behind her. She smiled brightly at him and then looked over at her baby, whose eyes immediately caught hers and she reached her little arm towards her and cooed. Like Mulder, she was tightly bundled up against the cold weather. Mulder clearly knew he would lose his head if the baby was missing anything. He shifted her in his grip towards Scully who grabbed onto her, almost as if for dear life. "Oh, hi sweetie," she whispered as she lovingly kissed the baby's downy head. Mulder reached for Scully's briefcase in her other hand, while placing his free arm around her back as he guided them to his car. "She really missed you a lot, even though it's only been hours."

Scully looked at him slowly and remembered their difficult departure this morning. "I know, um. I decided to file for medical leave for a little while...since um, you know, I haven't really spent a lot of time with her."

Mulder nodded as he opened the back door. "I see, well that's probably a good thing."

Scully quickly secured the baby in the car seat before closing the door. Mulder reached the passenger door quicker and opened it for her. "Unfortunately," she continued. "I will still need to work a few more days to wrap things up before my six weeks of leave." He knew she was worried about the baby; the intense separation anxiety was difficult on them both. He nodded and managed a small smile before getting into the driver's side and driving off towards the therapist Scully was to see.

It only took about twenty minutes to drive into Washington D.C. and Mulder definitely had been living in the boonies far too long as he wasn't used to driving in the city anymore. Hell, he only recently got a car and his license back. He was getting used to driving again, period. If he didn't count the time he stole Scully's car to chase down the two mad scientists who kidnapped a young woman as part of the Father Joe case.

He sensed Scully's anxiety when they reached the building and unloaded all of them outside of the car. As a Doctor, Scully had a hard time accepting advice from other medical professionals, but she needed to do this, if not for her, for her child. If she was going to remain dedicated to raising this child, she needed to be a good mother for her. She loved her children more than life itself, but she knew that love wasn't always enough to give them the life they deserved. Mulder took the car seat easily in one arm and Scully's hand in the next.

He smiled in attempt to ease her anxiety. "Well, I know that whole thing about doctors not being good patients and all, which is probably a good thing I'm not a Doctor."

His heart lifted when she rewarded him with a smile. "Yeah, well, I don't think many patients would be too receptive to a Doctor who believes in aliens, Mulder."

He pretended to act stung as he stopped in his tracks. "Ouch."

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't build a career in psychiatry, huh Scully?"

"I could only ever imagine you on the other side of the table."

"I'll be honest, I'm a little offended."

She chuckled, shaking her head and proceeded in front of him to open the door. He was smiling inside though. He hadn't seen this side of her in many years. Maybe there was still hope yet.

They were greeted by a friendly receptionist who checked them in and handed them what seemed like an endless amount of paperwork to fill out. Mulder sat down Melissa's carrier next to him while Scully did the honors.

There were a few other patients in the lobby and once Scully handed in her paperwork, she sat down and admired the colorful wall decor, which was typical of a psychiatric office. She looked over at a young mom, who was fussing over a baby boy about Melissa's age. His reddish hair and blue eyes reminded her of William. Mulder eventually turned and found where Scully's attention had been drawn to and his heart sank. Before he could get her attention, the mother caught her gaze and only then did Scully realize she was staring. "I'm sorry. He just reminds me of someone I know. What's his name?"

The other red haired woman didn't think much of the situation at all. "Oh, his name is Christopher. And yours?"

Scully looked over to see that she was obviously indicating Melissa. "Is she your baby?"

Scully shook her head from her dreamy state. "Oh yes, that's my daughter, her name is Melissa." As if on cue, Melissa cooed in response.

She wondered what the other young woman was here for. She could only hope it wasn't domestic abuse or something as she didn't have a husband or partner with her. She was probably in her early thirties. "She's beautiful," she continued as she fussed with the diaper bag. "Being a mom, it's not always easy you know. They don't come with instructions."

Scully smiled and nodded. "I think it comes to you as you go along."

"What's your name? I'm Michele." she reached out and shook Scully's hand.

"Dana. My name is Dana."

Mulder sighed, growing uncomfortable as the third wheel. It was then that the door opened and her name was called. She stood up and smiled at the other woman. Suddenly without thinking, Scully turned and slipped the younger woman a business card. "If you ever need anything. Anything at all, I'm a Doctor."

She nodded and smiled at Scully after accepting the card from her. As she followed Mulder he turned and gave her an perturbed look. "What was that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know Mulder? Mother's intuition? I don't really know, but I felt a connection to that woman. I just have a weird feeling about why she's here."

He looked at her sadly. He knew the woman's child reminding her of William had a lot to do with it, but he wasn't going to push her.

Once they were seated in the rather large room, the tall brunette named Cheryl Jennings greeted them right away with a friendly smile and proceeded to the quick overview formalities and patient confidentiality disclosures.

Melissa cooed, obviously trying her best to get the attention of the audience before her.

Scully had given her a brief, very brief overview of her history. Of course, neglecting any mention of aliens, supersoldiers, government conspiracies and anything else of that sort.

"You're a Doctor, right Ms. Scully?"

She nodded. "Yes, I've always been passionate about medicine. So my parents nearly disowned me when they found out about my decision to work at the FBI, where I met Fox Mulder."

She nodded, looking over to Mulder who nodded back awkwardly.

Scully mentioned the proceeding deaths of her relatives in as little detail as possible until she got to the story of her abduction, infertility and Emily. Now that was a hard story to tell being the nature of her existence, so she glossed over it as best she could. She proceeded to explain how she and Mulder had gone through fertility treatments, but had conceived her son, William, who was later given up for adoption due to circumstances beyond her control.

Mulder reached for Scully's hand and held tightly as she spoke.

Dr. Jennings leaned forward. "I just want to make sure that you're okay with continuing our session with your husband and child here."

Scully glanced over at Mulder, who nodded lovingly. He was using his free hand to distract the baby who was teaching for his fingers to chew on.

"Yes," she said confidently. "I trust him with my life."

Mulder's heart swelled at those words. She had said them before in another session they shared many years ago during their work together.

"I've always had a difficult time getting attached to people. I...I was afraid that attachment was a bad thing. I've lost so many people in my life that I couldn't bear to allow myself to get close to anyone."

Mulder had heard this before. And he knew it was a huge barrier in her life.

"And you believe this is affecting your ability to properly raise your child," she indicated the baby in the bassinet.

Scully felt a lump rise in her throat at the thought. She turned to see her sweet baby looking back at her. "Yes. I gave up my last child so he could have a better life. But I found myself pregnant again at 42 years old and there was no way that I could do the unthinkable. But I'm afraid I cannot be the mother she needs or deserves. I'm afraid my son will resent me for having another baby. I have no idea if he hates me or has wished for me to be there for him."

Scully closed her eyes as she allowed the tears to fall. She had to admit, it felt better to let these things out. She had explained that Mulder was not involved in her other child's adoption choice as he had been absent due to factors beyond his control. Mulder felt his chest tighten at that mentioning. He would never stop blaming himself for the fact that she was forced to make that decision alone. "Those Are valid feelings, Dana. But you have to accept that you made the best choice for your child at the time and have faith that he has the life you couldn't provide at the time. It's okay to move forward with your life to raise the child you have now. It's okay to still miss him and wonder how he's doing, but it's also okay for you to be happy now. You gave someone else a chance to have a child and that's an honorable decision." Scully admittedly felt relieved hearing those words from a stranger's point of view, even though she knew they were true. She looked over at Melissa who was looking curiously around the room and then back to Mulder, who squeezed her hand reassuringly. Maybe she could do this. It wasn't long after that their session had ended and they had rebooked for a few weeks out. Scully really felt the healing process begin and for the first time in her life, she was confident she could move forward with their lives and hope someday, William would have the desire to try and find them.

To be continued...


	20. Chapter 20

Earlier that day

A tall dark haired man had been monitoring the whereabouts of a Doctor Dana Scully. It had frankly been awhile since she was at this hospital. She had been under the radar for some time. He was almost out of a job. But he had finally been successful after installing unknown cameras in various areas of the hospital...viewable from afar as well. Today, something was clearly disturbing the doctor, but once she was called out, he managed to slip into her office before her colleague decided to come in at some point. He rummaged through her desk, trying to find any trace evidence of he man whom he had been searching for as instructed by his master. He was told he would find this information here. He pulled open various drawers to see random contents, such as pens, pencils, glasses...typical items. When he proceeded to the bottom drawer, noting it was locked...he began to urgently, but skillfully pick at it with a bent piece of paper clip as he was taught. After several unsuccessful attempts, the drawer came open and there was a purse. Noting the front door for any sign of entry, he proceeded to investigate those continents. He grunted in frustration. Women really did carry everything but the kitchen sink. He opened the wallet to see a driver's license that was valid, but clearly dated. He scanned through various cards. Temptation was high, but he was on a mission to find someone, not commit credit card fraud. Scanning the inside of the wallet, two small photos slipped out. Quickly picking them back up, he quickly glanced at the photos. One was of this woman and her partner along with a baby between them that he had heard a lot about. In the 2nd photo was a baby he did not recognize. It was a little girl with downy reddish hair and blueish hazel eyes staring straight into the camera. He glazed at the back, which read "Melissa Scully-Mulder 2009." this photo had to only be a few months old. He smiled. It was really the only information he needed. This woman was still connected to Fox Mulder. Sensing time was limited, he decided to snap a quick photo of her license and pocketed the photo discoveries before locking everything back into place.

When he stepped out and into the hallway, it wasn't long after that he saw the man in the first photo come and greet Dr. Scully, with the baby in his arms that was in the 2nd photo. He knew he came close to giving himself away when he brushed past the petite doctor, but he stayed well behind as he followed them for a short time to her get into a car with his target. He had even more time to move forward with his plan. He quickly made his way to the parking garage. He had discovered a parking pass earlier amongst the wallet continents, so he was sure she arrived in another vehicle. Attaching a simple GPS to the bottom of the car would get his boss what he needed quickly.

Once Scully had gotten back to work, she felt a little refreshed and ready to finish up the day. She only had a few appointments and wanted to head home for the day as fast as she could. After the stress of talking to various children's parents regarding various medical conditions and preparing lab work, she felt exhausted. She went to gather her things in the locked drawer and frowned when the draw came open with ease. She could have sworn she locked it earlier. She sighed, trying not to read too much into it before quickly grabbing her things and putting on her coat to ward off the winter chill. Careful not to lose balance in her 4 inch heels, she made her way into the stairwell and into the parking garage she left her car earlier that morning in her assigned spot. Just before she could each her car, however, she no sooner felt a chill run down her spine and a gloved hand pull her back, quickly covering her mouth. Her things landed in a loud thudding echo in the silent garage and she wanted to scream.

"Shhh, don't scream. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to."

She instantly felt her entre body begin to shake. Thankfully, her captor slowly pulled back. "Don't scream."

Once he was certain she would abide, he released her mouth, but still kept a hand tightly on her arm. Despite the intense fear, Scully felt her free hand clasp onto a knife she kept pocketed for occasions like this. She and Mulder no longer had carry permits, but they did keep firearms in safe spots inside of their home. "What do you want? Who are you?!" she spat out in a shaky voice. It was the same man she saw earlier today. "I didn't come here to hurt you...but rather I'm looking for someone you used to work with, a Fox Mulder. Any chance you know where he might be?"

Scully briefly averted her gaze. "No. I don't work with him any longer. Now if you'll excuse me..."

As she tried to move away, he stepped further in front of her, blocking her way. "Get out of my way," she demanded.

"You're not telling me the truth and I hate liars," the hooded middle aged man barked with irritation. Just as Scully was about to make another swift turn, he pulled out two pieces of paper from his jacket. As she got a closer look she could see they were photographs. "You see, Doctor, if you don't know Mulder's whereabouts, maybe you know where his child is...or should I say your child?"

Scully's heart fell to the floor once he turned the photos for better viewing. They were the wallet photos she kept locked away in her purse. She never openly displayed her home life for security reasons, so she kept these momentos in her bag.

Fear was quickly replaced with heated rage. Rage at the fact that her privacy was invaded, rage at this happening again after so many years of peace. As she found the words, a sound of an engine starting caught their attention and as headlights momentarily blinded them, Scully quickly took advantage of the distraction to rip the photos from the man's hand. But she didn't get too far before the man delivered a swift kick into her ribcage. She let out a loud grunt in pain as she tumbled to the floor along with her things. Even though it had been six months since giving birth, the pain was almost unbearable. As she doubled over in pain, he grabbed onto a lock of her long fine hair and pulled her close. "Now I'm not going to ask again, tell me where I can find Fox Mulder, or I'll kill them both."

Scully's eyes welled with tears in combination of pain and intense fear for her family. "No!" Images of the FBI agent who tried to kill her son flashed through her mind, causing her to lose focus. Her baby was crying for dear life and she beat down the door like mad woman. She was afraid to think about may have happened if she waited a moment longer to beat down that door and stop her son's attacker.

"Answer me!" the man demanded as he grabbed onto her small frame and swung her with brutal force into the side of a nearby vehicle.

"I won't let you hurt them."

She tried to imagine Mulder and her baby, hoping they were safe. Trying to focus she felt inside her coat pocket and clasped onto the knife she kept there. It wasn't a gun...but still. As he came to deliver one final blow to her, she delivered the sharp object straight into his hand as it came barreling towards her. He howled in pain and she decided to use that moment to make a mad dash for her dropped belongings and towards her car. Thank Goodness for remote car keys nowadays. Her hands were shaking as she pulled open the door, shoved the keys into the ignition and spun out of the parking lot. She didn't take notice of the fact she was hyperventilating or that her body shook violently as sobs wretched her body and tears threatened her vision as she sped out of the parking garage and into the street. It was happening all over again. She had to get to them and hope she wasn't too late.

To be continued...

A/N: Poor Scully. :( Please R&R


	21. Chapter 21

There was no denying the urgent sound of tires hitting the gravel that whoever was driving up to their property meant business. They had lived this way for over 7 years. The only person who has made their way up this driveway aside from Scully was Skinner. He was about to settle in on the couch after putting 'Lyssa to sleep and flip through the channels on the TV while he waited for Scully to come back. This was about the time she returned home, maybe slightly earlier than usual. Something wasn't right. He jumped to his feet and peered out the curtains to the driveway. Sure enough there was Scully's Ford Focus and she was all but jumping out of the car, slamming the door behind her. He decided to meet her halfway and swung the door open. "Scully, are you okay, what's going on?" She seemed to slow down as he closed the distance between them. Sure enough, when he got closer to her, she wasn't okay. She stopped in her tracks, as if she were looking at him as if she didn't believe he was in front of her. He could now see the deep crimson that marked her parted hairline and was dripping down the side of her face. His chest tightened immediately at the sight and without a further word, he pulled her into his arms into a protective embrace. "Scully, talk to me! What happened?!" he whispered into her ear. Scully tried to open her mouth and find the words, but all she could manage were muffled sobs that shook her body. "Shh, it's okay. It's okay. I'm here. We're safe here. You know that." He felt her small arms reach around and tightly clutch onto him for dear life. He was desperate to know who did this to her and it seemed like an eternity before she finally said a word.

She slowly pulled back. "Mulder," she said in a shaky breath. He reached a hand to cup the side of her face. "Tell me what happened to you, Scully."

She shook her head. "Mulder, where's the baby?"

He frowned. "She's inside. She's sleeping. She's okay. Why? You have to tell me what happened to you, Dana."

"I need to see her first. Now. Please," that last word came out in a whisper as she looked up to him with tear filled eyes. He sighed, realizing he wouldn't get anywhere until he was able to reassure her. He took hold of her hand and gently guided her up the stairs of their home. He slipped his left arm around her waist as they made their way inside. Scully took in the quiet and familiar surroundings of their home, seemingly satisfied. Mulder opened the door of the nursery and let her go ahead of him. Scully slowly approached the crib, as if she was suddenly worried about what she might find. Sure enough, there was her baby girl, sleeping soundly in her bassinet. She reached out a shaky hand and gently touched Melissa's face as if to assure herself her child was indeed alive and breathing. Scully suddenly exhaled the breath she had been holding, but it only brought on more tears. Mulder stepped closer and gently touched her shoulder as if to reassure her that he was still there. Melissa's eyes suddenly opened and looked in Scully's direction in genuine curiosity. She gently lifted the baby and held her closely as if she were afraid putting her down meant she might lose her. As Mulder watched them both, one thing became clear.

Melissa's ties to Scully were unusually strong. It was as if the baby could sense her a mile away. He knew the maternal connection was strong, but it was something he hadn't seen before, not even with Will, even though he had only known his first child for just a few days. Something about the way the baby reacted to Scully's emotions had him in awe. It was as if the child wanted to comfort it's mother. Of course he was biased, this was his child, so of course he thought she was perfect in every way. Which he had Scully's genes to thank for that, he was sure. He smiled to himself. But the tiny baby seemed to have endless love for them both. There was nothing he wouldn't do for their 2nd little miracle...which he knew would result in him being a total pushover when Melissa was older. Scully had held the baby for what seemed like an eternity and he knew she was trying to reassure herself the baby was okay. She grew increasingly aware of Mulder's impatience and finally set the baby back down. "Scully," he started.

She took one last look at the baby before she allowed him to guide her out into the living room and onto their couch. Scully couldn't meet his gaze. "Mulder. Someone...someone came looking for you as I was leaving the hospital. I didn't realize at the time that my things had been tampered with. But this man had confronted me. He found out about our child."

Mulder swallowed hard. He didn't like where she was going with this, but he forced himself to listen. "I don't know who he is, but he passed by me in the hospital earlier today, before you came to get me. He gave me the creeps. I didn't think much of it at the time and I didn't want to worry you over nothing."

"But it wasn't nothing, Scully," he regretted those words as he said them. He knew she already felt all kinds of guilt. "I know," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Mulder."

He knew that something was seriously wrong for Scully to admit defeat so easily. He reached and took her right hand into his own. It was ice. He held it tightly between his palms, trying to rub some warmth into it. Most of the snow outside had melted, but it was still winter for a few more weeks. He reached over to the chair next to the sofa and grabbed one of the many knit blankets Scully always had laying around and draped it over her knees. She finally shrugged her coat off and allowed him to hang it up for her. He noted the dried blood on her face and even though she was the doctor, something told him she wasn't in the right frame of mind to go wash up. He returned to the couch with a warm wet face towel. Scully looked over at him as he gently used it to wipe the side of her head, but she didn't protest. He wanted to kill whoever had made her feel so defeated and lifeless. He needed to get to the point though. "We need to get the footage off those garage cameras so we can find out who this man is."

Scully nodded. "If it hasn't already been cleaned up."

Mulder sighed. He wasn't giving up either way. "Don't give up, remember, Scully?"

He was surprised when she managed a small smile. "Jesus, enough of that already, Mulder."

"I'm going to call Skinner. I'm not sure if you should go to work tomorrow, Scully."

Scully shook her head. "I so much stuff to take care of in these last few days before I leave, Mulder. And it's likely I'll be questioned by the hospital directors regarding what happened."

He frowned. He didn't like the idea of her going alone. But at the same time it would give him a chance to check things out. "Fine, but I'm driving you."

She watched him walk into the kitchen and pull something out of the oven as he placed his cell phone to his ear. "I'm going to get changed."

Scully needed out of these clothes. She was still sore from the beating she took. With a quick glance at the baby monitor, she proceeded down the hallway as she listened to Mulder's voice. She winced as she unbuttoned her blouse and caught sight of the bruises on her torso and stomach. She was for the most part back in her pre-pregnancy clothing, though she no longer had the stiff abs she had while she was in the FBI. While she was still toned, her skin was more softened by her current lifestyle and motherhood. She didn't realize she must have been staring into space as the door opened just as she was about to slip her pajamas on. "Scully, I have some dinner made for you, it may not be five stars but-"

He stopped at the sight of her and she gasped before pulling her clothes on, looking away.

"Scully, he did this to you? Don't you think, maybe someone should look at you?"

She scoffed. Typical Doctor Scully.

"I'm fine, Mulder." He frowned. Typical Scully response.

When she saw the look on his face that said he wasn't buying it, she sighed. "Really, I'm okay. I'm just a bit bruised and sore, but I'm going to be fine. If it makes you feel better I'll have someone examine me tomorrow."

He nodded. He figured that was the best he was going to get and he had to trust that as a Doctor, she should know best. He closed the space between him and pulled her toward him again and ran his hands through her honeysuckle scented hair. "Please, don't hide anything from me, Scully. You're all I have left and I don't want to lose you."

Scully closed her eyes as she allowed herself to bury her head in his chest. "I won't."

"Skinner and I are going to go over those surveillance videos tomorrow. We're going to find out who this man is and where he came from."

He cupped her face so she was looking him in the eyes. "Now, I want you to eat something. I'm not the best cook as you know, so can I get a trophy for trying?"

She closed her eyes and smiled.

"As long as it's not macaroni and cheese or ramen."

Mulder pretended to be hurt. "Oh, way to injure a man's pride, Scully."

He took her hand and lead her down the hallway. He would be damned if he let anyone hurt the mother of his children ever again.

To be continued...


	22. Chapter 22

Spartanburg, South Carolina

Inside of a rather large, yet secluded mansion, an old disfigured man puffed smoke from his lungs. He smiled at the fact that his son and his now wife thought they could suddenly live carefree lives. They did, at least until Fox Mulder had been prompted out of hiding by a rather mundane X Files case presented by the FBI to win his affections back last year. It only took an anonymous tip, before his son was back doing what he did best. So predictable. Fox Mulder would never turn away a case, not even at the expense of his beloved Dana Scully, whom he had known had been working at a local hospital in rural Virginia for some time before that. Unbeknownst to her, he had been following her whereabouts in hopes of connecting with his son. Though she made their residence difficult to trace and locate by having a P.O. box as her primary address in her personal file at the hospital. He wanted to see Fox again and throw him some bait.

His errand boy had returned. To his disappointment, he had gotten nowhere with Dr. Dana Scully, but he had manage to place a tracking device on her vehicle. "What else do you have for me?" He snorted.

"Well, she has a baby with that man, Fox Mulder. I managed to find it in some of her personal belongings."

"Yes, they have a son named William who they gave up for adoption. I don't see your point."

The man shook his head. "No, this photo was of a baby girl. I believe it said "Melissa" or something on it."

"Hmm". He grinned. They must have named the child after Scully's sister. But Dana couldn't have any more children. Unless...unless her alien DNA had given her her fertility back somehow.

He knew nothing of a pregnancy though. "How old did this child look?"

"I don't know, a few months maybe?"

"And you're sure it's recent?"

"It had a date on the back from 2008. She managed to get the images back when I confronted her."

In a far part of the room, Monica Reyes listened intently on the conversation. She couldn't help but feel her chest tighten at the mention of her friend Dana being used as this pawn in a game. She remembered when the smoking man was presented of some images that his hit man had managed to gather about a year or so back. It was the first time she had seen Dana since they fled New Mexico in 2002. Six years had passed while she wondered how they were holding up. For three years, she wondered if they were even alive before joining forces with the smoking man. She happened to see the image on the coffee table of Dana a while back. Caught by an anonymous camera, it was a picture of Dana exiting the hospital she worked at. She had longer, lighter colored hair, but still the same Dana she knew even though her features expressed more depression and fatigue from the recent years. The thought of these men using Dana's other child for their sick twisted game had her stomach in knots. The pain and turmoil she witnessed Dana go through with William was enough to break anyone. In fact, with Skinner's help, she helped Dana find a good adoption agency. At the time, she and Skinner were supposed to be the only ones who knew of the family's whereabouts and perform anonymous check ups with the agency to ensure his safety. That was no longer the case.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts overhearing their discussion, that the hot tea she had been pouring spilled on her hand, causing her to lash out. "Shit!"

"You okay back there, Monica?" the snide gravely voice called.

"I'm fine, I just spilled some tea. I'll clean it up."

Monica cringed. She hated that she had to live her life this way, but she did it not just for the immunity, but also because she and Skinner were no longer the only ones who knew about William's whereabouts.

A/n: Short chapter since I have some writer's block. I'm thinking of starting the sequel to this, but I don't want to post until I'm done with this. It's going to be titled Alternate Season 10.


	23. Chapter 23

The next day was uneventful for them both. Scully was almost immediately summoned to meet with the board of directors to discuss yesterday's incident. It was enough that it had happened, let alone Father Ybarra's piercing glare the entire time. The unidentified suspect had taken off, though the cameras had been reviewed to determine as much. The entire time she had fidgeted uncomfortably, worried about the very fact of Mulder even being there in the hospital, where this man could be fishing around. Due to Scully's request for leave of absence anyways, it was granted effective nearly immediately also due to the pending investigation. Though evidence of defense was clearly in her favor, she really didn't want to have to worry about whether or not she had a job to come back to. She had quickly retreated to the hospital locker, where she changed out of her doctor's uniform and back into her regular button up blouse and slacks, though unsure of why she had changed in the first place. When she returned to the lobby area, she saw Skinner waiting with Melissa. She was immediately alerted to the fact Mulder was not with him. "Where's Mulder?" she asked in frustration, almost unsure she wanted to know the answer. Skinner tried to avoid her gaze. "Um, well, he said he was just going to check out a few things. He should be back any minute now."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. The last thing she needed was Father Ybarra to become suspicious of him being in places he didn't belong.

"What did they say, Dana?"

"Well, they will be investigating the tapes during my absence. I should still have my job, but it is procedure."

He nodded.

She was about to turn on her heels and head back towards her office when she saw him approaching. "Where the hell were you?" she demanded in a whisper.

"What? I thought I made good timing. I got the tape."

"Oh good grief, Mulder, returning to my job could depend on that tape."

"Don't worry...we'll have it back by the end of the day," he said ushering them all towards the door.

Once they were outside and out of sight of anymore potential cameras he handed the tape to Skinner for inspection. "I appreciate your cooperation, sir. Please make sure this man is identified and the tape is returned before they notice it went missing."

Skinner sighed. "Mulder, all I had to do was flash a badge and get this for you."

"I know...I appreciate that, sir. But I don't want to put anyone else at risk until we figure out who this man is. You put your ass on the line during my trial, to help me escape my death penalty, to help Scully find me and to clear my name recently."

Scully looked away. Mulder was right. If this man knew he was being investigated, they could be bringing more harm to more innocent lives, which wouldn't get them anywhere.

She looked at her baby, feeling slightly defeated. She only hoped she could protect Melissa with Mulder's help. She already lost one child to this crusade.

When they returned home, they encountered something they hadn't seen nor expected in the last seven years. Scully's heart had crashed to the floor with dread. They had both known something was wrong when the gate they had always kept closed was unlocked and open.

Once they entered their home, she

instinctively pulled Melissa closer to her chest and covered her tiny face with her hand, as if she could shield her baby from the disaster before them. The unremarkable home was trashed and turned upside down. Sofa seats where everywhere, as were lamps and even furniture. She felt tears unconsciously track their way down her cheeks as she felt truly violated in the home in which they once felt so safe and secure.

As if sending their distress, Melissa began to cry and Scully tearfully looked over at Mulder, suddenly overwhelmed and unsure about everything. She gently smoothed her hand over the baby's downy head and whispered soothing words into her ear in attempt to comfort her.

Mulder felt his chest tighten at the sight and even more so that his partner and child were in distress. That fear was suddenly replaced by anger. Anger at the fact someone invaded their home and disrupted the place that had been their safe haven all these years. Anger at the fact that Scully and Melissa were upset. All to get to him. Neither of them deserved this. He clenched his fists. They stood there for the longest time, before Scully moved to set Melissa down in the bouncer nearby...one of the few things that weren't knocked over or broken. Mulder followed her lead and angrily punched the numbers into his cell phone to dial Skinner. Scully couldn't stop the tears from falling as she overheard their conversation. She didn't move as she knew they couldn't mess with the crime scene before it was investigated. Scully wondered how anyone had found out about their residence. All these years, she had been extra careful with revealing their address and location to anyone, even at work and even with Mulder's recent exoneration. With sickening realization, she remembered her assailant being in the garage when he attacked her. Then she realized it. He must have put a tracking device on her car. The second thing she remembered was that the FBI did know their whereabouts as someone did send for them by helicopter to assist on that last case. The reality was that their location wasn't so hidden anymore, but she figured it was the latter. Mulder looked over at her suddenly as she turned to run out the door, though still clearly immersed in his heated conversation. Nearly tripping down the steps, she finally made her way to her car and began to feel around underneath until her hand rested on the small object she had suspected. Her heart sank with even more dread if that was even possible. She sighed as she examined the small object. Unfortunately, she didn't get too far with that task before she heard Mulder yell out. "SCULLAAY!"

She was on her feet almost immediately, despite her heels sinking into the winter mud. She jammed up the steps, nearly slipping in the process and burst through the door to see Mulder pinned against the edge of the kitchen. His attacker barely took notice of her. Scully instinctively felt around for the gun that she hadn't carried on her person in years. As she did so, the two men came crashing down onto the floor, causing her to jump in response and it was only then she noticed the broken glass of a coffee table that had gone previously unnoticed by her. Her mind was spinning and she felt almost as if her vision and hearing were failing her, but not before she looked over to see her daughter, still in the spot she had left her in, but dangerously close to the now broken glass and commotion. Everything became a blur of motion and faces, but behind it she could hear small piercing cries. The baby. She had to get her baby out of there. "SCULLY, get the baby," came Mulder's strangled voice. She was torn between helping Mulder and grabbing Melissa, but she didn't have her gun. Without another thought, she dashed across the room and quickly reached for her baby before running toward the bedroom, slamming the door behind her, but not before nearly tripping over strewn about objects on the floor. She quickly set Melissa down on their bed as she frantically tried to think of a plan of action. The baby's cries where ear splitting, which only elevated her fear and stress. She took a quick glance at Melissa and noted upon further inspection that the baby had a large cut on her arm. From the size and cut, she knew a glass shard had reached her. She needed medical attention, but she couldn't do that right then with the commotion in the other room. She ripped open the nightstand drawer to reveal one of the guns she and Mulder kept in the house. They no longer had carry permits, so it was the only thing they could do for added security to keep their weapons on the down low. It wasn't until then that she noted the bedroom was still untouched. Shockingly enough, their visitor hadn't gotten as far as the bedroom. Once she had the cold metal in her hand, she slammed the door behind her and rushed back into the living room in a hurried frenzy. Mulder and the shorter, somewhat stockier man were still going at it. "Stop!" she demanded. She aimed the gun Mulder's attacker, though line of sight was difficult she due to the movement. She couldn't get a clear shot and she couldn't risk injuring Mulder. "I said STOP, NOW!" she screamed, fighting the tears in her throat. When Mulder caught sight of Scully, he managed to briefly shove the man off of him and roll to the side. As he did so and as the attacker prepared to jump onto him, he could hear the piercing sound of a gunshot in the room. He cringed for a moment before opening his eyes to see Scully still standing before him, much to his relief. She lowered her gun only slightly as he could tell she was fighting to keep tears at bay. She looked down to see the man grunting in pain as blood oozed from his now immobilized leg. He continued to try and get up until Scully screamed again. "Don't your DARE get up, YOU BASTARD. I will end you here and now," she screamed between broken sobs.

"Scully," Mulder started, briefly catching her attention. That was all it took though, even with the assailant being so close to the floor, Scully was small and he was able to rip the gun from her hands in that brief moment and shove her to the floor. "Out of the way, you bitch!"

Mulder was on his feet in that instant, despite his unknown injuries and hurled himself at the man as another gunshot pierced the air. He successfully dislodged the gun from the man's hands and tried to pin him to the floor in a fit of rage. He only had one thought in his mind and that was to save his family. Scully tried to pull herself back to her feet and as she did so, she saw the man pull a knife from his jacket pocket and screamed in horror. "Mulder! NO!" she lunged over them to grasp the gun once more in her fingers. Another shot echoed through the room and all was silent.

To be continued...

A/N: I hope you're enjoying this. I've been having some writer's block until it just hit me. Please review.


	24. Chapter 24

_Mulder and Scully walked alongside the front of their home as they frequently did, admiring their rural surroundings. Her long strawberry blonde hair glowed in the soft morning sunlight. She had held Mulder's hand, one of the few times they would openly display affection for one another, despite any lack of audience anyways._

 _"So Scully, have you thought of a name?"_

 _"Hmm?" came her weary reply._

 _"For the baby."_

 _That caused her to stop and look towards him, but not before glancing down at her rounded midsection. She wasn't big yet as she was about four and a half months along, but the evidence was clearly visible. They only just found out they were having a girl about a week ago._

 _"I guess...I haven't given it much thought," she sighed. That meant the baby would finally be real to her and that meant attachment, which she was still deathly afraid of, being almost 43 and a high risk pregnancy and of course her thoughts went to William as well._

 _Mulder sensed her hesitation and took hold of her other hand as well. "Well, if you don't mind, I have a suggestion...since you got to pick the name last time."_

 _Scully admitted this stung slightly, however innocent Mulder's comment was. She managed a small smile anyways. She was fairly certain what he was going to suggest. "Okay, what is it?" she prompted_

 _He hesitated before laying it on her. "Melissa."_

 _She honestly wasn't expecting that. When she didn't reply, Mulder pressed. "So?"_

 _"Um, that wasn't what I expected to be honest. Why not Samantha?"_

 _Mulder looked at their joined hands. "Well, it did cross my mind, but my whole life's work has been about my sister and I have mostly difficult memories surrounding her disappearance and abduction. Besides, you named our first child after my father, so this baby should be after one of your family members," he mused trying to be nonchalant as William was still somewhat of a sensitive subject between them._

 _Scully looked away for a moment and then closed her eyes before turning back to him. "Well, okay then. I don't see our baby being a Margaret...and the rest of my family are mostly boys. And I miss Melissa terribly. Plus, I know you would have earned some brownie points just now at that suggestion if she were here," she smiled brightly. Mulder smiled back at her. He knew Melissa was one of the few proponents of him in Scully's family. "It's my job to keep you guessing, Scully."_

Everything had happened so fast that Scully didn't notice the adrenaline rush that kicked through her. She was suddenly back in their room, tending to their wailing infant. The last she remembered, she was shooting Mulder's attacker point blank in the back of the head before he could get his chance to stab Mulder. Terrified of losing him once more, she made the fatal shot and watch the man collapse into a pool of blood as Mulder looked at her in horror. She had dropped her gun, not even bothering to check the man's vital signs. And limped back into their room in a trance like state. She didn't really even recall how she got back to the room as she felt herself looking for the first aid kit they kept in the closet. She tried to remain calm and neutral as she tended to Melissa's wound, which thankfully, didn't appear to need any stitches. Gently, she cleaned it out and bandaged her up and it was only then that the baby stopped crying. She gently picked her up and cried softly into the infants shoulder. "I'm so sorry sweetie," she whispered. "Mommy's here now, you're okay," she cooed. At the time, she wasn't sure if she was more trying to reassure the baby or herself. A moment later, she was startled by Mulder opening the door. She nearly jumped and clasped the baby to her chest protectively. "Scully," he said gently, not wanting to worsen her obvious fragile state. She didn't move towards him, but allowed him to get closer to them. "She was hurt, Mulder," she managed, her voice breaking. Mulder turned towards his daughter to see the makeshift bandage Scully had placed on their daughter's arm. His gut filled with regret. He hadn't meant for this to happen. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked carefully. She managed to nod. "Yes, I think so. The cut wasn't too serious." He didn't wait for her to elaborate before pulling them into his arms and sighed. "Skinner is here. They're moving the body. There's going to be some questioning, but that's to be expected." He did however, want to protect her from that for now. This made Scully wonder just how much time had actually passed since she had been in the room.

"The darkness always seems to find us," she managed through a small sob. "We were supposed to be safe here. I know it comes for us, but I didn't want that darkness in my home."

"I know," he said simply.

"This was what I always feared. Maybe I wasn't meant to have children. Our lives our too dangerous, Mulder."

He wanted to convince her otherwise, but knew he couldn't right then. He had to prove to her that they could keep their daughter safe and that's what he was going to do. He needed to find out who that man was first and why someone would be after him after nearly eight years. Whoever it was wasn't going to get away with breaking the tranquility of their home.

To be continued...

A/N: The beginning is a memory that presents itself sometime during this attack. I can imagine Scully's thoughts being all over the place. I hope it made sense.


	25. Chapter 25

Six months had passed and though any sign of immediate danger had passed, Mulder and Scully had felt the familiarity of being on edge. Mulder had become more withdrawn, much to Scully's distaste. Today, Scully had returned early from the hospital. She had taken to Kim, Skinner's assistant and now wife, to watch Melissa on some occasions. It had been more frequently as Mulder had been more invested in his work. She knew this was part of who he was and what she loved about him, but it also killed her at times as well, especially now that they had another child to look after. They couldn't do anything that would place her in harm's way. Normally, she would go and get her baby, but she was exhausted and needed to be alone with Mulder for a little while. When she entered the house and noted his door was closed, she softly rapped on the door. "Come in, Doc."

She sighed and hesitantly opened the door. Mulder had his back turned towards her momentarily before he quickly glanced at her. It only took a moment for her to realize how little sleep he had gotten lately.

She knew it was because he was doing everything possible to keep them safe by trying to find the motive behind the man's attack. They had found nothing. The name he had been using had been false as well. "What are you doing, Mulder," she asked cautiously.

He sighed. Slightly aggravated by her tone of voice. "Same thing, different day."

She sighed. "Please Mulder, open up to me."

He finally turned to face her, seeing her arms crossed over her chest in frustration. "Same thing I do every day, Scully. Sit here and search for answers, to keep you and Melissa safe. Where is she?"

"I haven't picked her up yet. I uh...wanted to talk to you first."

Mulder turned towards her. She avoided his gaze and looked down at her hands, playing with a button on her coat. He didn't like where this was going.

"About?"

Scully knew they needed to focus on the latest threat against them, but she couldn't deal with this anymore. They were losing the life and safety they worked so hard for the last seven years. The recent home invasion had triggered so many emotions for Scully that she didn't ever want to have to revisit.

The PTSD she had suffered shortly after the kidnappings and attempted murder of William had returned with a vengeance and Mulder's emotional withdrawal and obsession these last several months hadn't helped matters. The thought that maybe they shouldn't have had Melissa tore her apart inside. She loved her child terribly and wanted a second chance so much. They both did, but now so much more was at stake. As tears filled her eyes, she had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could continue. "Mulder, I just can't do this anymore."

He felt as if a stake was just driven through his heart. He didn't want to hear this. Not from Scully, his life partner and the mother of his children. "What are you saying, Dana?"

She shook her head, her long strands of strawberry hair falling around her face as she looked down. "Mulder, what happened six months ago brought me back to a place I never wanted to revisit. The fear, the helplessness I felt while I was alone when someone tried to kill William and when I had to give him up. I have to live with myself each and every day, wondering if that was the right choice. Now, we have another child to worry about and I know I can't ever make that choice again, but I can't watch you lose yourself in this darkness anymore and I can't stop you from searching for that truth either."

He stood up and started to talk when she held her hand up. "I know that on some level, you resent me from giving away our child even though I know you understand and forgive me. And on some level, I know that you know that I resent what this quest has done to me; what I've had to lose as a result. And it's not your fault. I'm the one who fell in love with you and chose this path, but I'm not sure I can lose anything else. I can't lose you, or our daughter and if leaving will prevent that, I need to do it."

Mulder was speechless. He didn't expect this, not after everything else they had been through together. "So you're just going to walk away and take Melissa with you?"

She shook her head. "No, of course not. You're a good father, Mulder, I would never keep her from you. I just can't do this."

She made her way to the porch as he hurriedly followed behind her. He was honestly at a loss for words; he thought they were past this. "How long," he asked.

She stopped halfway down the steps. "I don't know, Mulder. I just know that if we stay together right now, we'll just resent each other and I can't live like that."

He couldn't believe this was happening. She was leaving and he couldn't convince her otherwise, because she was right. They were two damaged people.

Scully touched the ring that hung around the chain on her neck.

"You want a divorce."

"No, I just want some time. I love you Mulder, but sometimes love isn't enough."

"Dammit, Scully. Don't say those things to me, not if you're going to leave."

"I'm sorry, Mulder," her voice broke.

She had gotten into her car and looked back at him with one last tear filled gaze before he watched the love of his life drive off, taking a piece of his heart along with her.

END

A/N: I'm so sorry to have to end it this way, but at 25 chapters and dealing with writer's block, I'd like to focus on the next phase of this story, which will take place AU during the revival several years later. I want to keep writing about M&S and baby Melissa, but the ideas would turn into more random drabble and not tie in too well during the ending. So I've decided to do more one shot stories that could tie in with this one as the ideas come. Leave a review and let me know your thoughts. In the meantime, watch for the next phase titled X Files Alternate Season 10. Thanks for the support, everyone!


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